From Ahmad Muhammad, in Bauchi
The Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed the tragic death of a middle-aged woman believed to be mentally unstable who set herself ablaze inside the family house of late Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, in Bauchi.
She was rescued by people around the area who saw what happened who rushed her to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, where she later died from the injuries of the first degree burns.
Police Public Relations Officer PPRO , CSP Mohammed Ahmed Wakil who spoke to our Correspondent on phone about it described the incident as most unfortunate.
Wakil said: “On the 26th of September 2025, at about 1105hrs, an unidentified woman, who is now late, went to the family house of the late Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa with the aim of seeing the daughter who is the Chairperson of BASOVCA. On enquiry, she was told that she was not in the house.”
He said that: “She then brought out a gallon of petrol and matches, which was already handy and lighted heresef up. On receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, directed the DPO A’ Division to conduct a discreet investigation on the development.”
The PPRO said that, “The DPO assembled his surveillance team and moved to the scene in order to rescue her as she was still alive as at then but with a damaged skin due to the first degree burns.”
“She was rushed to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, where she was admitted. After some time under admission, her statement was recorded,” he added.
Police spokesman said, “The Police was trying to establish the fact on the reason she had to set herself ablaze at the place she did, but on enquiry she said that she could not remember that the item in her hand was petrol, thinking that it was water.”
He said that, “But by further intensified investigations, it was discovered that the woman was of unsound mind, she had mental health issues. Some neighbours and others who knew her said that she developed the illness after giving birth to her last child.The died while receiving treatment at the hospital and her corpse released to the family thereafter saying that.”
The Command is commiserating with the family praying Allah to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.”
The woman, who was said to be a daughter of a late Sharia court Judge in Bauchi, was married and had children before the unfortunate incident as narrated by an eye witness.
The eye witness said on the fateful day, the woman came down from a commercial tricycle with a gallon in her hand and entered the house demanding to see one of the daughters of the Late Prime Minister.
The eye witness said that when she was told that the person she was looking for was not in the house, she came back to the main entrance of the house, poured the contents of the gallon, which was petrol on herself and lighted a stick of matches she was holding and set herself on fire.
It was her shout that attracted people to the scene, tried to put off the fire but in the process aggravated it by pouring water on her leading to the the intensity of the fire which gave her a first degree burn.
The woman was said to have told the rescuers that she did not know how she came about the petrol neither did she know when she poured it on herself and lighted the stick of matches leading to settling herself ablaze.
