A middle-aged man, simply identified as Samaila, is presently in the hands of the Katsina State police for allegedly chaining and torturing his two wives, Fatima Salisu and Hadiza Musa, in his home for 10 months.
The two women are of the same age, 20 years, and have no children with the suspect.
He was arrested by policemen from the Rimi Divisional Police Headquarters before he was transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department of the command on Monday.
The spokesman for the command, SP Gambo Isah, confirmed Samaila’s arrest, but could not give details of the case, stressing that it was still under investigation.
It was learnt that the old woman pleaded with Samaila to allow her take away a sewing machine she bought for her daughter since it was not being used.
Samaila reportedly refused to release the sewing machine and assaulted his mother-in-law in the process.
Not satisfied with Samaila’s responses to basic questions, detectives were sent to search his house. The search resulted to the discovery of the two women in very terrible conditions.
Items recovered from the house include large chains used by the suspect to restrain the women, assorted charms and weapons.
In an interview at the police station, the victims, Fatima and Hadiza gave a horrific picture of their ordeal.
They alleged that their husband locked them up in a room after which he shaved their pubic hair and cut their fingernails with which he prepared a concoction and forced them to consume.
Fatima told the police that she was subjected to inhuman treatment for 10 months before her husband married Hadiza, who joined her in captivity 10 weeks ago.
She explained that it was a taboo for any of them to let their husband know when they were observing their monthly period, because he threatened to kill them if he discovered that they were menstruating.
The two women could not say what Samaila’s source of livelihood was but stated that he regularly returned home with several wads of N500 notes.
A Katsina-based non-governmental organisation, Gender Associates and Social Inclusion, has taken interest in the plight of the two women.
The group’s spokesperson, Hajiya Rabi Muhammed, said the organisation took the women to a hospital in Katsina for medical check-up on Wednesday.
“We took the two women to a hospital in Katsina on Wednesday. We also counselled them and psyched them up. We also gave them some foodstuffs.
“Those were the interim arrangements we made for them pending the time the police will complete their investigation.
“We shall definitely empower the victims to help them pick up their lives again. The two women have been returned to their villages,”Muhammed.
