A 28-year-old woman, Firdausi Musa, alongside her two young children, suffered severe burn injuries after her co-wife, Maryam Muhammad, allegedly poured petrol on them and set them on fire in the Hotoro area of Kano metropolis.
The incident reportedly occurred late Monday night in the Mai Allo area of Hotoro quarters, leaving residents in shock, while the suspect is currently being detained at the Mariri Police Division.
The victims, identified as Khadija Ya’u, 7, and Ismail Ya’u, 3, are presently receiving medical attention alongside their mother at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, and Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano.
Their husband and father, Malam Saminu, who allegedly sustained burns while attempting to rescue them from the inferno, is also undergoing treatment.
According to media reports, a younger brother to Firdausi, Buhari Musa Sa’ad, said the family received a distress call around 3am informing them that his sister, her husband and the two children had been set ablaze by her co-wife.
According to him, Firdausi had not spent up to two weeks in the matrimonial home before the incident occurred.
“She is around 28 years old. The children who got burned are the ones she brought with her from her previous marriage. They are stepchildren to the husband, who works as a tricycle rider,” he added.
A relative of the victim, Rukayya, also told media reports that Firdausi had previously complained about threats and intimidation from the co-wife before the attack.
“We were lying down here when she was brought in, and she told us herself that it was her co-wife who poured petrol on her and lit a match,” she said.
Rukayya explained that the victim had earlier left the house due to repeated threats, but later returned following intervention from her husband.
Attempts to obtain comments from the Kano State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time this report was filed.
