Man kills his four children after a quarrel with his wife

A 53-year-old man, Mallam Saleh Magaji, on Wednesday allegedly killed four of his children and attempted to kill himself after a quarrel with his wife.

It was learnt that the man had allegedly tried to kill his wife the previous night but she left the house located on Ahmadu Bello Street in the Kawo area of Kaduna, the state capital.

Thereafter, the man allegedly locked the door of the house and used a knife to kill the four children who were between the ages of six and one.

It was learnt that the suspect said he was sure that he and his children would go to heaven.

One of his children who was not in the house at the time, alerted the ward leader of the area, when he found the door to the residence locked from inside on Wednesday afternoon.

When the neighbours and some policemen forced the door to the house open, the children were already dead while their father was still alive but in a critical condition.

It was learnt that the man and the children had been conveyed to St Gerard’s General Hospital in Kakuri, Kaduna.

Punch correspondent, who visited the emergency ward of the hospital, observed that Magaji was in a pool of blood with a deep cut in his throat.

He attempted to speak to nurses and doctors on duty but was incoherent.

The Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Zubairu, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.

The police spokesperson said the wife reported the matter to the police.

Zubairu said, “The wife came to report to us, and when policemen got to the house, they met the house locked. But the police called on the Mai Ungwan (village head) of the area to witness the policemen force the door open.

“When they opened the door, they saw the four dead bodies of the children. And policemen also discovered that the man wrote something on the wall of the room, alleging that his wife had tried to poison him, and since she could not succeed, he decided to kill all members of the family, including himself, so that all of them can go to heaven.”

He said investigations were ongoing.


Credit: Punch Metro