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Alleged child killer: “I was out of my mind”
Maude Rabiu Gwadabe
The woman who allegedly killed her two children in Kano City on Saturday said she was out of her mind when the incident happened.
Kano Focus reports that Hauwa’u Habib of Galadanchi quarters told the police that she wasn’t aware that she hacked her children to death.
“I saw my two children Zuhra and Yusuf attacking me with a knife or something.
“I called my husband and told him what was happening but he didn’t believe me.
“So I locked the house and escaped to my mother’s house for safety.
“The next thing I know was my husband coming to my mother’s house with bloodied clothes saying that I had killed the children.” Ms Habib said.
Paranoia and hallucinations
She also told the police that she had been paranoid for some time.
“I used to feel that I was being pursued.
“I even hallucinate a lot but my husband never believed me.
“Even he himself, I used to see him transforming into a beast with hooves instead of legs.” She said.
Ms Habib’s husband, Ibrahim Haruna Aminu of Diso quarters told Kano Focus that his wife was neither possessed nor suffering from mental illness.
Woman who killed own children is not possessed – Husband
Out of her mind
However, Mr Aminu told the police that she must have been out of her mind when she allegedly killed the children.
“A day before the incident, while I was bidding her farewell as I set out to my other house, she asked me whether I was well.
“I said ‘why are you asking?’’ and she said that she was hallucinating but couldn’t tell me what she was seeing.” Mr Aminu said.
He added that his wife called him on Saturday claiming that she was under attack.
“She called around 9:55am saying that two women and a man are threatening to kill her.
“I asked where the children are but she answered that they are the ones threatening her.
“So I told her to keep praying and I’ll be with her after it stopped raining.” He said.
Last encounter with my children
Mr Aminu said she called back five minutes later and connected him with the children.
He said they asked for Bobo drink and he told them to ask their mum to fetch some from his wardrobe.
He then set out for the house but his car developed a problem.
Mr Aminu said he had to call a friend to tow the car to the mechanic’s.
“When I arrived I found the door locked and nobody opened when I knocked.
“I therefore used my key to open and found my children lying in their blood.
“The other girl, who was also stabbed, told me that ‘Aunty Hauwa’u had killed them’.” He said.
Mr Aminu said when he traced his wife to her mother’s house he found them having a chit-chat.
“When I told her mother what she did, the mother started crying while my wife kept asking ‘what happened?’”. He said.
Meanwhile Kano state police spokesperson Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa said the suspect had confessed to using a machete and an aluminum pestle to attack her two children and a niece.
Mr Kiyawa, a deputy superintendent of police say the State Criminal Investigation Department has taken over the case.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday received a delegation from the Association of Kano Business Community at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during a thank-you visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
KANO FOCUS reports that the delegation expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for its support to traders and other victims affected by the recent fire incident that razed several sections of the popular Singer Market in Kano.
Speaking during the meeting, the Vice President reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to collaborating with the Kano State Government and relevant agencies to prevent a recurrence of fire outbreaks in markets across the state.
He assured the delegation that President Tinubu has the interests of Kano people at heart, noting that the N5 billion approved as immediate relief for victims was based on the findings of a preliminary assessment of the damage caused by the inferno.
Shettima reiterated that the Federal Government would continue to support efforts aimed at restoring commercial activities and strengthening safety measures in markets to protect lives and property.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government has inaugurated a 23-member committee to oversee the transparent and equitable distribution of financial assistance and relief materials to victims of the recent Singer Market fire disaster.
KANO FOCUS reports that the inauguration was carried out on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Faruq Ibrahim, who chairs the committee. The event was presided over by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Kabiru Maude.
According to the Attorney-General, the committee comprises representatives from key government agencies, security services, the Kano Emirate Council, religious leaders, and affected traders.
He said the panel’s mandate includes assessing the extent of losses, verifying genuine victims, ensuring timely distribution of support, and recommending measures to prevent future fire incidents.
The intervention follows support approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as contributions from the APC Governors Forum. It also comes in addition to earlier assistance provided by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin.
The state government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting victims of the disaster and restoring commercial activities at Singer Market.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government has announced Saturday, March 1, 2026, as the commencement date for the Eid-el-Fitr break for all public and private primary and post-primary schools in the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the announcement, contained in the approved 2025/2026 academic calendar, applies to both day and boarding schools across the state.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Public Enlightenment, Musbahu Aminu Yakasai, parents and guardians of pupils and students in boarding schools are expected to convey their wards home by the early hours of Friday, February 28, 2026.
The statement further explained that boarding school students are to resume on Sunday, March 22, 2026, while day students are to resume on Monday, March 23, 2026.
It added that the second term will continue from Sunday, March 22, 2026, and end on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The government directed all public and private schools in the state to comply strictly with the directive, warning that non-compliance would be treated as a breach of government instructions.
The Commissioner for Education, Ali Haruna Abubakar Makoda, urged parents and guardians to ensure full compliance with the approved resumption dates.
He appreciated parents and residents of the state for their continued cooperation and support to the ministry, and wished pupils and students a successful completion of the Ramadan fast and hitch-free Sallah celebrations.
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