Police arrest woman for killing new co-wife

The police command in Niger has arrested a housewife over the murder of her husband's new wife.

According to the police, the housewife who is identified as Fatima Ibrahim killed her co-wife with a pestle and set the body ablaze to fake a fatal fire accident.

The sad incident happened in Mina, 54 days after her wedding.

The incident was confirmed by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Muhammad Adamu to BBC Hausa on Wednesday, March 25, 2021.

He said their husband, Aliyu Abdullahi, reported the incident to the police, leading to the arrest of the co-wife and three other persons.

The police boss said preliminary investigation revealed that the co-wife (name withheld by the police) killed the deceased with a pestle and set her body ablaze to indicate she had died in a domestic fire accident.

The incident occurred two days after their husband took the junior wife’s passport photographs to process her visa for the lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia, the police boss said.

“We strongly suspect that the jealous co-wife resorted to this criminal act after the husband announced his plan to send the bride to Saudi Arabia,” the commissioner added.

The father of the deceased, Ibrahim Yahaya, who lives in Katsina State, said she was killed only 54 days into her marriage.

“She was wedded here at Sabuwar Unguwa in Katsina metropolis before she moved to Minna in Niger. Her co-wife and her accomplices killed her after they sent the house help out on an errand.

“Fatima called her sister and told her something dangerous was about to happen. Unfortunately, the sister met her dead body in the house,” the father said.

Ibrahim said the corpse was brought to Katsina and has been buried according to Islamic rites.