A 19-year-old woman has been arrested by Bauchi State Police following the shocking abduction and killing of two seven-year-old girls in Unguwan Sarkin Yaki village, Toro Local Government Area. According to CSP Ahmed Wakil, the suspect—identified as Esther Gambo from Lemoro village—lured the children, Khadija Sama’ila and A’isha Dahiru, under false pretenses. She is accused of abducting a newborn baby and leading the girls to a maize field where they were brutally murdered with a machete.
Police, working alongside local vigilante groups, acted swiftly to secure the suspect’s arrest. During the operation, officers recovered the lifeless bodies of the two young girls and rescued the abducted baby.
The murders sparked violent unrest in the local community, with angry youths setting fire to churches and storming the Tulu Divisional Police Headquarters. Reinforcements from Bauchi’s Toro Area Command and neighboring divisions were deployed to contain the situation and restore peace. Authorities confirmed that sixteen additional individuals—both men and women aged between 17 and 50—have been arrested in connection with the incident and related violence.
Commissioner of Police Sani‑Omolori Aliyu condemned the killings and the chaos that followed, warning against vigilante retribution and pledging that everyone involved will face legal consequences. He urged residents to avoid jungle justice and allow the normal judicial process to prevail.
