The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old man, Nura Mas’ud, for allegedly setting his grandmother on fire.

The arrest was confirmed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Lawan Adam in a statement on Sunday.

According to him, on October 8, 2024, at about 1600hrs, the command was notified of a sad and regrettable incident that occurred in Mu’azu village, Dan Gwanki ward, Sule Tankarkar LG that one Nura Mas’ud, 26, of Mu’azu village, Sule Tankarkar LGA, went to his family house with a petrol canister and poured it on his grandmother, Zuwaira Muhammad, 60, of the same address, and set her ablaze.

The command’s spokesman said,

“The elderly woman eventually passed away while being admitted to a hospital as a result of the conflagration.”

He stated that the on-call medical doctor certified her death, and her body was released to relatives for burial in line with Islamic rites, saying that a team of detectives from the Sule Tankarkar Division swiftly arrested and detained the suspect.

He said that the suspect was later taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a discreet investigation, stressing that during the interrogation, the suspect admitted to committing the alleged offence against him.

Adam stated that that a preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect has a history of mental illness and had been undergoing treatment at Kazaure Psychiatric Hospital.

According to the PPRO, the suspect further stated that the late grandmother upset him by expressing concern about his physical appearance and health, which he did not want, pointing out that he warned her on several occasions but she refused, and as a result, he purchased gasoline, poured and ignited her.

The state Commissioner of Police, A.T. Abdullahi, had directed the SCID to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure the suspect is prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.