Two children have been killed in Yarliya’u community, Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina State, after they allegedly identified a man suspected of stealing goats in the area.
The victims, Safiya Muddaha and Nura Abdulrashid, were reportedly attacked on Sunday while tending goats in a bush around the community.
According to residents, the children were among those looking after about 50 goats when the suspected thief allegedly entered the area and made away with two of the animals.
Residents further alleged that the suspect later returned and killed the children, reportedly in an attempt to stop them from revealing his identity to members of the community.
The incident has reportedly thrown the families of the victims into mourning and left residents of Yarliya’u worried about the safety of their children.
A relative of one of the deceased, Abdulrashid Sulaiman, expressed disbelief that two children could allegedly lose their lives over the theft of livestock.
Sulaiman said the children were with others who were tending the goats when the animals were allegedly stolen, adding that the circumstances surrounding their deaths had shocked the community.
“What kind of society have we become where somebody can take the lives of innocent children because of two goats?” he asked.
Another relative, Jibrin Yarliya’u, described the victims as too young to comprehend the danger they were allegedly exposed to, saying their deaths had created an irreplaceable void for their families.
He called on the authorities to investigate the incident and ensure that the perpetrator, if identified, was prosecuted.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the alleged motive had heightened fear among parents in the community.
The resident said, “The children were said to have seen and identified the person who stole the goats. We suspect that they were killed because the person did not want them to expose him.”
He urged security agencies to establish what happened and bring those responsible to justice, stressing that the lives of the children were more valuable than the stolen animals.
The Chairman of Kurfi Local Government Area was unavailable for comment on the incident.
The Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sadik Aliyu, also promised to verify the report when contacted but had yet to provide feedback as of the time of filing this report.
