A chief in Kano State, Alhaji Jamil Bala, who allegedly shot his 35-year-old housemaid in the neck and breast, has denied the allegation, saying it an accidental discharge
It would be recalled that the housemaid, Mrs. Umu-l-kulsum Inuwa, was shot on her boss (Bala) for allegedly failing to attend to his wailing 3-month-old baby on time. The bullet reportedly hit one of Bala’s guards.
The incident happened in Bala’s residence in Barnawa, Kaduna State, on Saturday, when his wife went out, leaving the baby behind.
Inuwa, who is a widow and mother of three, was rushed to a private hospital where she had been admitted and the matter was reported at the Barnawa Police Division, leading to Bala’s arrest.
However, Bala denied that he shot the woman out of anger, saying he wanted to service his rifle when the bullets accidentally discharged.
Speaking with newsmen in the state, Bala said, “We all have different understandings. But this claim is totally false. As an educated man, why will I attempt to kill somebody just because a baby is crying?
“On that day, I sent one of my guards, Yahaya, to my room to bring the gun. I told him to take it downstairs and get me some quantity of engine oil to service the gun.
“I kept the gun at home for security reasons. I wanted to remove the bullets when I had an accidental discharge. The lady in question was far, washing clothes. And a guy who was supposed to fetch water for my mother was close to her. A bullet hit him as well, but his injury was minor.
“I am a kind of person that even if I am dying, I will not hide anything. I don’t fear anybody. The distance between this woman and I was up to 20 to 30 metres. When the incident happened, I was the one who called the security agents and took her to the hospital. I told the doctor to give her the best treatment,” Bala added.
The District Head, Barnawa, Alhaji Kabir Zubair, said he intervened in the case and demanded that Bala should be arrested.
He said he later gathered that Bala did not intend to harm the woman.
According to Zubair, “I was in Zaria when the incident happened. I informed the Divisional Police Officer of the station. When I came back from Zaria, I talked to the police to release him on bail because he had typhoid.
“The following Monday, the case was transferred to the SDCI and he was detained until last Friday when he was released on bail since the condition of the woman had improved.
“The woman has been discharged this (Monday) morning. His family and that of the woman will dialogue. If it fails, then he can be charged to court,” he said.
Meanwhile, a human rights group, ‘My Body, My Rights and Charity Initiative’, has also petitioned the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ibrahim, seeking justice for the victim, the Punch is reporting.
A member of the group, Nura Mukhtar, a lawyer, said, “On that day, his (Bala’s) wife went out and left the baby at home. When the baby was crying, he called her on the phone and she (wife) called the housemaids to tend to the baby. Meanwhile, the victim and another housemaid were washing clothes on the premises.
“Both of them rushed upstairs where the baby was. After a few minutes, Inuwa went downstairs to continue with the laundry.
“The boss shot her and she sustained injuries in some parts of her body. According to the victim, her boss was angry because the baby girl was abandoned. When we learnt about the matter, we wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police in the state and the suspect was arrested and detained. His family did not support him and they are spending a lot of money on the treatment of the woman.
“The case was later transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation and the suspect had been granted bail,” Mukhtar added.
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