A fight among children in Karaku community, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, has left a 10-year-old boy, Abubakar Lawal, dead and another child hospitalised.
The incident, which occurred around 5:30pm on Monday, August 11, unfolded when Abubakar and his nine-year-old friend, Hassan Adamu Umar, were returning home after grazing their sheep along a bush path.
According to police sources, the duo was allegedly confronted and blocked by four other minors — Musa Aliyu, 10; Umaru Abdullahi, 6; Maryam Abdullahi, 10; and Fulaira Jika, 4.
During the confrontation, Musa Aliyu was said to have attacked both boys with a stick, inflicting severe injuries.
They were rushed to the General Hospital in Kagara, where Abubakar was confirmed dead while Hassan was admitted and is said to be responding to treatment.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Niger State Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday, describing it as a suspected case of culpable homicide.
“On August 12 at about 7:30am, the police received a report of the incident. Preliminary findings revealed that the minors engaged the victims in a fight, during which Musa Aliyu allegedly struck them with a stick. Sadly, Abubakar did not survive,” Abiodun said.
He added that the juvenile suspects were brought to the police station by their parents on Thursday for questioning, and the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna for further investigation.
The body of the deceased has been deposited at the hospital morgue for autopsy.
