Bauchi Community Demands Removal of DPO, over Brutal Murder of Gwalaga Resident

From.Paul.Orude Bauchi

Residents of Gwalaga Mayaka Community in Bauchi Local Governemnt Area of Bauchi State have called on the Commissioner of Police to immediately redeploy the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of A Division, CSP Hassan Musa, over the handling of the murder case of a 32-year-old resident, Najamu Aminu.

The call was made by the Zauren Sulhu da Inganta Tarbiyyar Al-Ummah, Gwallaga, through the National Coordinator of the Organisation for African Child Development and Human Rights Protection, Barrister Alkasim Muhammad.

Addressing journalists alongside Barristers H.I. Yashi, Isma’il Ibrahim, A.U. Adam, S.A. Balloko, the activity who spoke on behalf of the community alleged that the DPO had compromised the investigation into the gruesome killing.

According to the community, Najamu Aminu was found dead in a pool of blood inside his room in the Anguwar Gwallaga area of Bauchi on June 9, 2026, with his throat reportedly slit.

The incident was reported to the Nigerian Police Force Township Division (Central Market), whose officers evacuated the body to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), where he was confirmed dead.

However, the community expressed concern that the corpse was released to the family for burial within three hours without what they described as adequate investigation. The deceased was subsequently buried according to Islamic rites.

Barrister Alkassim argued that the right to life is protected under Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

He stresswe that the circumstances surrounding the death deserved a thorough and transparent investigation, adding that efforts to receive  a copy of the petition by the Commissioner failed at the time of this report as the claim was public holiday.

He alleged that as of June 10, no suspect had been invited or arrested in connection with the killing, while investigators had also failed to revisit the crime scene to interview witnesses or gather further evidence.

The group further claimed that an Imam in the area, Malam Ahmad Haji, who mentioned the incident during a sermon, was later approached by an unidentified individual and allegedly threatened against speaking about the matter again.

“The question is: why would anyone threaten an Imam for discussing a murder incident that has shaken the community?” Muhammad asked.

The community raised several concerns regarding the conduct of the DPO, including the quick release of the body for burial, the decision to handle the homicide case at the divisional level without transferring it to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and the alleged failure to carry out further investigations at the crime scene.

They alleged that the handling of the case appeared careless and could potentially undermine efforts to uncover the truth behind the killing.

Alkassim  also claimed that the community possesses additional evidence, including CCTV footage allegedly linked to prime suspects, and expressed readiness to provide investigators with the identities of five persons they believe should be questioned in connection with the crime.

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The petition addressed to the Commissioner of Police and copied to the Bauchi State Governor, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Police Service Commission, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) requested urgent intervention.

Among its demands are the constitution of a special investigative team to conduct a comprehensive investigation, the exhumation of the victim’s body for autopsy, the arrest and interrogation of identified suspects, the immediate redeployment of the DPO from A Division, and the establishment of an independent panel to investigate his conduct in relation to the case.

The community said these measures were necessary to ensure justice for the deceased and restore public confidence in the investigation.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Bauchi State Police Command on the allegations were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.