Tussle Over Girlfriend Turns Fatal At Relaxation Spot In Dass, Bauchi State
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – Fierce struggle for the ownership and domination of a girl as a lover in Dass town, a peaceful but bubbling community of about 20 minute drive from Bauchi, has gone awry with one of the combatants now dead.
According to eyewitness account, a 21 year old man, simply identified as Ishaku, allowed his jealousy and enraged emotional feelings for a girlfriend to run out of control as he went after his victim.
Reports said with rage having the better part of him, he reportedly stabbed his suspected rival known as Zaloti John with a sharp object, leading to the victim’s death.
Interestingly, the late Zaloti was said to be Ishaku’s close friend of many years only for the fight over the unnamed girl to cause bitterness between them and eventually sent Zaloti to the great beyond, never to be heard or seen again by his loved ones.
A visit to Dass town, which is about 32 kilometers from Bauchi, the State capital, by our correspondent indicated that most youths in the area are still in shock and utter disbelief as to the level the unwarranted misunderstanding over a girlfriend was taken to that has now left the community in mourning.
Now faced with the reality that one of their own was equally killed by another in very queer circumstances, some of the youths were seen gathering in groups to discuss the unfortunately incident.
The ugly event reportedly took place on Friday, May 29, 2020 following an altercation that later turned to a fist cuff between the two well-known friends over a girl none of them has paid dowry on her head or even formally proposed to have as a life partner.
Our correspondent gathered from a relation of the late Zaloti, (who does not want his name in print) that the unfortunate incident happened at a popular relaxation spot known as ‘Kanwara’ where most people visit to cool off and entertain themselves and their friends regularly.
According to the said relation; “On the fateful day, I saw the deceased (Zaloti) going up and down between 10am and 11am in my area, chatting with people as if he had premonition of his death”.
Explaining that he was at home that Friday evening at about 5.30pm when the sad news of Zaloti’s death due to a fight at the joint filtered in, he said; “The information I gathered was that Zaloti was stabbed in three different parts of his body with a knife by the assailant over an argument on who was the real boyfriend to the girl (names withheld).
He said on further enquiry, it was revealed that the fight was not even about the girl that people knew the late Zaloti with but a completely different girl whose identity is yet to be revealed.
The family however confirmed that the late Zaloti was buried on Monday amidst cries for justice by his friends, relatives and other witnesses at the scene of the incident that led to his untimely death.
The Bauchi State Police Command confirmed the incident through its Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ahmed Wakili, who said a case of culpable homicide was reported from the Dass Police Division and transferred to the SIIB for further investigations.
Wakili explained that the late Zaloti John was stabbed on the neck with a sharp object and was rushed to the Dass General Hospital where he was confirmed dead.
He said the Police in Dass have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of Zaloti while further investigations are ongoing to unravel the remote and immediate cause(s) of the murder.