Two children were reportedly killed in Yarliya’u, Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina State, after allegedly witnessing the theft of goats and identifying the suspected culprit.
The victims, identified as Safiya Muddaha and Nura Abdulrashid, were said to have been tending livestock in a bush close to the community when the incident occurred on Sunday.
According to residents, the children were part of a group caring for about 50 goats when a man allegedly entered the area and took away two of the animals.
The residents claimed that the suspect later returned to the area and attacked the children, allegedly because they had seen him and could identify him to other members of the community.
The alleged killings have caused grief among the victims’ relatives and heightened concern among residents, particularly parents who are now worried about allowing their children to tend livestock in isolated areas.
A relative, Abdulrashid Sulaiman, said the circumstances of the incident were difficult for the family to comprehend, questioning why the loss of two goats could allegedly lead to the death of two children.
Sulaiman said the children were with other people tending the animals when the goats were allegedly taken away.
He said, “What kind of society have we become where somebody can take the lives of innocent children because of two goats?”
Another relative, Jibrin Yarliya’u, lamented the deaths, saying the children were too young to appreciate the danger they might have been in.
Yarliya’u appealed to the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that anyone found responsible for the deaths faced the law.
A resident, who declined to disclose his name, said the alleged circumstances of the killings had sent fear through the community.
According to him, the children were believed to have recognised the person who allegedly took the goats, raising suspicion that their deaths could have been an attempt to prevent them from exposing him.
“We want the authorities to investigate what happened and tell us who killed them and why. The lives of these children cannot be compared with two goats,” the resident said.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Chairman of Kurfi Local Government Area were unsuccessful, as he was unavailable when contacted.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sadik Aliyu, also did not immediately confirm the incident.
He promised to verify the report and respond, but no further information had been received as of the time of filing this report.