A mother of four, Balkisu Garba, of Gidan Dare behind Jummat Mosque, Sokoto, the Sokoto State capital, has been killed by her boyfriend, Saifullah Hassan, of Gummi Local Government Area of of Zamfara State in a hotel in Sokoto.
The boyfriend admitted to killing the mother of four when he was paraded by the police along with other suspects.
The Commissioner, Sokoto State Police Command, CP Hayatu Kaigama, paraded the suspect on Thursday.
Kaigama said that on May 24, 2024 at about 6:20am, “one Mr. John, the manager of Ifeoma Hotel, Phase 1, Old Airport Area, Sokoto, reported that a woman, identified as Balkisu Garba, of Gidan Dare behind Jummat Mosque, brought into the hotel by an unidentified guest, was killed in the hotel room by the same man.
“On receipt of the report, police operatives from the Old Airport Division led by the DPO (Divisional Police Officer) swung into action.
“The suspect’s bag, which was abandoned after the act, containing some receipts of payment and three mobile phone SIM cards, were recovered.
“These recoveries led to the identification of the suspect as one Saifullah Hassan ‘M’ of Gummi Local Government of Zamfara State.
“Investigation was intensified and the suspect was later traced and arrested in Funtua, Katsina State.”
Hassan, who spoke with newsmen during the parade, confessed to having been dating the deceased for a long time.
He said: “I brought her to a hotel room and we had a minor misunderstanding.
“She hit me with something on the head and I became furious and slaughtered her.
“But I am now regretting what I did because the deceased had been my girlfriend for quite a long time.”
Meanwhile, the Sokoto State Government has shut down the hotel where Hassan slaughtered the mother of four.
Sealing off the hotel on Thursday, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Dr. Jabir Maihula, said the decision to seal the hotel was based on a series of complaints by the residents of the area over the immoral activities taking place in the hotel.
Maihula said: “We have received a lot of complaints from the people living in this area over the immoral activities that were taking place in the hotel.
“Even last week, a woman was killed in the hotel.
“So because of all these, Governor Ahmed Aliyu directed the immediate closure of the hotel.”
The Commissioner of Commerce, Dahiru Haruna, noted that the hotel was not registered by the state government and was thus operating illegally.
