Housewife Burns Minor’s Private Part with Hot Knife After Branding Her a Witch

A seven-year-old girl has been hospitalized in Bauchi State after her brother’s wife allegedly burnt her private part with a hot knife in Magama Gumau, Toro Local Government Area.

The suspect, identified as Suwaira Ibrahim, was said to have accused the minor, referred to as Habiba (not her real name), of witchcraft after her own child claimed to have seen the girl among a group of “witches.”

According to community activist Kabiru Mohammed Abdulkadir, Ibrahim initially took the child to a spiritualist, who declared that she was not a witch. Dissatisfied with the verdict, Ibrahim allegedly went back home, heated a knife, and pressed it on the girl’s private part, insisting that if she were truly a witch, she would not feel pain.

“It was her loud cries that attracted neighbours,” Abdulkadir told journalists. “When we rushed to the house, we met her writhing in pain. We insisted the case be reported to the police.”

A video circulating showed the victim’s private part and thighs badly burnt and already rotting, with neighbours complaining of a foul smell from the wounds. The girl was also said to be struggling to urinate and defecate.

She has since been rushed to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi for urgent medical attention.

Confirming the incident, Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Ahmed Wakil, said the case was first reported at the Toro Divisional Headquarters before being transferred to the State Command.

“We are aware of it. Initially, some people attempted to cover up the case at the community level, but we insisted it must be brought to the Command. A full statement will be issued as soon as investigations progress,” Wakil said.