Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Jigawa State Command arrested a couple after allegedly locking their 25-year-old daughter in a cage for five years.
The NSCDC’s representative in Jigawa, Adamu Shehu, stated on Tuesday that the NSCDC detained Garba Musa, 67, the girl’s father, and Aisha Abubakar, her stepmother, who both reside in Takur Site, Dutse, for committing acts of violence against an individual.
Mr. Shehu explained that the NSCDC acted in response to a complaint made by a human rights advocate living near the suspects, which was lodged at the NSCDC State Command Headquarters.
The complaint stated that a 25-year-old girl named Ummi Abubakar, the suspect’s daughter, had been confined to a room within the house for five years without being allowed to leave.
Upon receiving the complaint, NSCDC operatives swiftly proceeded to the house and rescued the 25-year-old girl, who appeared emaciated, disheveled, and emotionally distressed.
The room in which she was held captive served as both her toilet, where she relieved herself, and her dining area, where her meals were served on the bare floor.
According to the father, his daughter suffers from a mental illness and had been causing trouble in the neighborhood, which led them to confine her.
He presented Out Patient Cards from Kazaure Psychiatric Hospital, Jigawa State, which were obtained in 2013, 2014, and 2018, as evidence of seeking treatment for his daughter.
Investigations also revealed that Ummi’s mother had separated from her husband, the father, approximately 30 years ago and was denied access to her children, despite having six children with him.
Apart from Ummi’s brother, who is a civil servant, the other four siblings are married. Ummi’s mother remarried and currently resides in Huguma Town, a border town between Jigawa and Kano State.
The command is currently investigating the underlying cause of Ummi’s mental illness, considering the fact that she was in good health until her disappearance during her Junior Secondary School years. The aim is to find a solution to alleviate her suffering.
