By Yemi Shola
Talatu Joshua, a 70-year-old grandmother in Gobir village, Kirfi Local Government Area (LGA) of Bauchi State was allegedly attacked by some youths in the village and gruesomely killed on her way from church, for reasons only known to the assassins.
Sources confirmed that late Mrs Joshua was attacked on Sunday, March 2, 2025 by four youths at the village shortly after church service at the outstation of St Benedict Catholic Church, Alkaleri/Inkil Parish, on her way home around 4pm.
Initial reports said that the youths used sticks to attack and club her to death but when her corpse was picked by her son, Yohanna Haruna, they found several matchet cuts on her body.
A source told Our Correspondent that “when we interrogated her son, Yohanna Haruna, he gave us this account. “Just that Sunday evening in Gobir, people started running towards the scene of the murder of my mother, Mama Talatu, a Christian mother.
“The report had it that a woman was killed. I started running towards the direction to see things for myself. Some people I met on the way told me that it was my mother who was killed. Reaching there, I saw my mother lying dead in the pool of her blood. I wrapped her in my hands and headed home.
“I deposited the corpse at home and ran to report the matter to the Police at the station. I met our notable Islamic traditional leaders there who also came to the station to confess that it was their children who committed the act.”
“I narrated the incident based on what I saw and heard to the Policeman who was on duty that day, ASP Jerry. He took my report and followed me home. He snapped the corpse and proceeded to the scene where the murder happened and took some shots of the ground that was soaked with the blood of my mother.
“I waited thereafter. I heard nothing and the Policeman said nothing. After they promised to investigate the matter, the following day, Monday, 3rd of March, 2025, the corpse was no longer in good shape, I called ASP Jerry who was handling the matter, he told me to proceed to bury my mother.”
The deceased son, Yohanna Haruna, added: “After the burial, nothing was done to bring the culprits to justice. The local traditional leader, Mai Guduma Gobur who is known as Mai Wakah, came to the house and saw the corpse of my mother, and advised us to let go of the matter, saying that digging further may spark the peace of the community. That was all, I never heard from anyone again.”
As of the time of this report, no reaction from the State Police Command as efforts to get official reactions failed.
