Woman sets herself ablaze in Bauchi

A heartbreaking incident occurred in Bauchi on Friday when a middle-aged woman, believed to be mentally unstable, set herself on fire inside the family house of Nigeria’s late Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

Eyewitnesses said the woman, who was reportedly the daughter of a late Sharia court judge in the state, was quickly rescued by bystanders and rushed to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH).

Sadly, despite frantic efforts by medical personnel, she succumbed to the severe burns she sustained in the inferno.

Eyewitnesses said the woman had arrived at the residence in a commercial tricycle carrying a gallon of petrol. Upon entry, she reportedly asked to see Yelwa Abubakar Balewa, one of the late Prime Minister’s daughters and Chairperson of the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency (BASOVCA).

When told that Yelwa was not at home, the woman allegedly poured petrol on herself at the main entrance and struck a match. Attempts by onlookers to extinguish the flames worsened the fire, leaving her with extensive burns.

The Bauchi State Police Command confirmed the incident. Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Mohammed Ahmed Wakil, described it as “most unfortunate,” noting that the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, had ordered a discreet investigation.

“On the 26th of September, at about 11:05 a.m., an unidentified woman, who is now deceased, went to the family house of late Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. After being told the person she sought was not at home, she brought out a gallon of petrol and set herself ablaze,” Wakil said.

He added that the woman was rescued alive and admitted at ATBUTH, where police recorded her statement before her death. During interrogation, she reportedly claimed she did not know the liquid she carried was petrol, insisting she thought it was water.

Investigations later revealed that she had a history of mental illness, which developed after the birth of her last child, according to neighbours and acquaintances.

Her body has since been released to her family for burial. The Police Command expressed condolences, praying for the family’s strength to bear the loss.