A male resident in Katsina State, Kabir Sanir, has killed his teenage daughter, Ummul, for rejecting several forced marriages that he had been arranging for her.
Sani, a commercial driver, fatally beat Ummul believed to be between 16 and 18 years old, after she repeatedly resisted his attempts to marry her off to a man of his choice following a dispute between the duo which had long strained their relationship, with the teenager insisting on choosing her own husband while her father remained determined to impose his preferred suitor.
It was gathered that the assault, in Shagari Low-Cost area yesterday night and continued into Thursday morning, the residents alleging that Sani assaulted the girl and continued the beating until she lost consciousness and died.
Neighbours who heard her cries made several attempts to intervene but were denied access to the house.
However, the incident came to light when some of her friends visited to accompany her to school and found her lifeless.
“We heard her screaming throughout the night and repeatedly knocked on the door to intervene, but her father refused to allow anyone in.
“By the next morning, we learnt that she had died. The entire neighbourhood was thrown into mourning,” a resident said.
Another resident claimed the teenager had insisted on choosing her own husband against her father’s wishes.
Sani was arrested by operatives of the Katsina Central Market Police Division shortly after the incident, while the deceased was later buried at the Abbatoir Cemetery in accordance with Islamic rites.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, DSP Sadik Aliyu, said the suspect remained in police custody while detectives investigated the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.
He added that further details would be made available after the conclusion of the investigation.