A teenage girl’s refusal to marry a man chosen by her father has allegedly ended in tragedy in Katsina State, with the girl reportedly beaten to death by her own father.
The victim, identified as Ummul Khair and believed to be between 16 and 18 years old, allegedly died after her father, Kabir Sani, subjected her to a prolonged assault at their home in the Shagari Low-Cost area of Katsina metropolis.
Sani, a commercial driver, has since been arrested by operatives of the Katsina Central Market Police Division and is being detained as detectives probe the shocking incident.
Trouble reportedly started after Ummul Khair repeatedly rejected her father’s attempts to marry her off to a suitor of his choice.
Sources familiar with the matter said the disagreement had created serious tension between father and daughter before the situation allegedly exploded on Wednesday.
Neighbours were said to have been thrown into panic after hearing the teenager’s cries from inside the house.
They reportedly knocked repeatedly and tried to intervene, but Sani allegedly refused to open the door.
The screams reportedly continued throughout the night.
By Thursday morning, residents allegedly learnt that the girl had become unconscious following the beating.
Then came the horrifying discovery.
Some of Ummul Khair’s friends reportedly arrived at the house that morning to pick her up for school, only to allegedly find her dead.
The father was reportedly preparing her body for burial when the girls raised the alarm.
Neighbours immediately rushed to the scene and alerted the police, leading to Sani’s arrest.
A resident said neighbours heard the teenager crying for hours and made repeated attempts to intervene, but her father allegedly refused to let them into the house.
The resident said they were shocked to discover by Thursday morning that the girl had died, leaving the neighbourhood in grief.
Another resident added that Ummul Khair had insisted on deciding her own future, while her father allegedly remained determined to have her marry a man of his choice.
The teenager was buried on Thursday morning at the Abbatoir Cemetery in Katsina metropolis according to Islamic rites.
Police sources confirmed that Sani remains in custody at the Katsina Central Market Police Division while detectives investigate the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.
