A 28-year-old woman, Firdausi Musa, and her two children have been hospitalised after her co-wife, Maryam Muhammad, allegedly attacked them in the Hotoro area of Kano metropolis.
PrimeTimes Nigeria learnt that the incident reportedly occurred late Monday at Mai Allo, Hotoro quarters, leaving residents in shock.
The suspect is said to be in police custody at the Mariri Police Division. The children were identified as Khadija Ya’u, 7, and Ismail Ya’u, 3.
They are receiving treatment alongside their mother at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, and the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano.
Their father, Malam Saminu, who reportedly sustained injuries while trying to rescue them, is also receiving treatment.
Speaking with Daily Trust on the incident, Firdausi’s younger brother, Buhari Musa Sa’ad, said the family received a distress call around 3 am that his sister, her husband and the children had been attacked.
He said Firdausi had spent less than two weeks in the matrimonial home before the incident.
“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 said.
A relative of the victim, Rukayya, alleged that Firdausi had earlier complained of threats and intimidation from the co-wife.
“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 added that Firdausi had earlier left the house over repeated threats but returned after her husband intervened.