*How Police Secured Breakthrough In Identifying Alleged Mastermind
By our reporter
As Nigerians continued to express outrage over the dastardly killing of a woman, Fatima Abubakar, and her seven children in Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters,Kano, by armed assailants on Saturday, fresh information has emerged showing that Umar Auwalu, the man police named as the alleged mastermind of the murders, was clearly identified and had his second name repeatedly screamed out by the panic-stricken woman as the gang were about to kill her.
As yet, police are still conducting investigations to unravel the motive for the murders which have shocked the nation and made headlines.
Police had revealed yesterday that Auwalu is a close, blood relative of the dead woman. The Command added that he has confessed to the killings.
It has now been learned that Abubakar’s life-ebbing screams reportedly drew the attention of few neighbours around who rushed to the precincts of the house,but could not gain access as the apartment was securely locked from inside.
Also, sources at the scene told People&Politics that, after allegedly murdering the woman and her children, the gang, rather inexplicably, took away only her body through a secret exit in the house to Auwalu’s residence in another section of Kano.
It was on returning to her Chiranchi Quarters residence later to burn it down, alongside the mutilated bodies of the woman’s children — probably to conceal evidence –, that the gang reportedly ran into a mammoth, raging crowd outside, but managed to merge into the throng and escape.
The State Police Command had earlier in a press statement yesterday identified Auwalu, 23, Yakubu Abdulaziz, 21, and 40-year-old Isyaku Yakubu as members of the gang that allegedly snuffed lives out of Abubakar and her children — the youngest one,an infant, whom they flung into a deep well nearby.
It was gathered that the murders were executed at a time of day when most residents of the area had left for commercial activities, some in far off parts of Kano, with only a handful of persons hanging around in the locality.
According to eye witnesses, Abubakar screamed for help during which she repeatedly called Auwalu’s name in apparent shock that he was among her assailants.
“Some people heard her calling Auwalu’s name. She was screaming ‘har da kei, Auwalu, za ka kashe ni, Auwalu? Har da kei?’ in Hausa language.
“This translates as ‘Even you, Auwalu, will also kill me? Even you?’ “, eye witnesses recounted.
According to them, later as the shocked crowds which massed in front of the house recalled details of the tragedy, a police team despatched to the scene arrived and on hearing the story, insisted on knowing who the Auwalu was.
“It was from this enquiry that the police got the first breakthrough. From Fatima’s neighbours who knew Auwalu because he was a regular visitor to her house, the police got geographical directions to Auwalu’s residence and made the first shocking arrest as well as recovery of some evidences there,” the sources told People&Politics.
Auwalu’s arrest subsequently led to the nabbing of his alleged co-conspirators,it was further gathered.
Police spokesman for Kano Command, Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Haruna Kiyawa, had stated of the gang: “He (Auwalu) also admitted that the same group carried out violent attacks in Kano including the killing and burning of two housewives in Tudun Yola.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: Face of Auwalu,as released by the Kano State Police Command.
