A Divisional Police Officer of Mashi, Katsina State, Garba Talawai, has been arrested alongside his girlfriend, Sadiya Danyaya, over the death of a 16-year-old housemaid, Rabiu Abdullahi.
The housemaid was said to have worked for Danyaya.
Katsina police spokesman, Gambo Isah, in a statement on Friday said Mr Talawai who is also a superintendent of police, was arrested after the maid’s corpse was found in the bush despite the body being taken to a health centre the previous day.
The statement said a councillor in Mashi LGA, Abubakar Haruna, saw the corpse dumped in a bush.
“Yesterday (Thursday) at about 12.00hrs, one Abubakar Haruna, a councillor in Mashi LGA, reported to the DPO of Mashi, SP Garba Talawai, that a corpse was seen at a bush path in Mashi.
“The DPO and his team went and removed the corpse to Primary Health Centre, Mashi.
“The corpse was later identified as that of one Rabi Abdullahi, 16, of the same address, but only for some health workers on duty to identify the corpse as having been brought the previous day by the same DPO, along with one other policeman yet to be identified, inside a Toyota Carina II identified as the DPO’s.
“The corpse was later identified as a housemaid to one Sadiya Alhaji Danyaya, a girlfriend of the DPO.
“However, the said Sadiya confirmed that she reported to the DPO that the girl had been missing since Wednesday after she rebuked her for carrying an unwanted pregnancy and for sleeping outside the house.
“Preliminary investigation has indicted the DPO for being complicit in the concealment of facts with respect to the cause of death of the housemaid,” the statement said.
Mr Isah said the state commissioner of police, Sanusi Buba, had directed a “thorough, meticulous and comprehensive investigation” into the incident.
