Police say suspect blamed childlessness, alleged influence of friend
Daud Olatunji
A woman, Mariya Abdullahi, has been arrested by the Niger State Police Command for allegedly poisoning her co-wife’s two children, aged four and nine, leading to the death of one of them.
The incident reportedly occurred on Friday in Takuti community, Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State, after the suspect allegedly gave the children a substance suspected to be poison.
The surviving child is currently receiving medical attention at a general hospital, while the deceased child reportedly died shortly after being taken to a nearby medical facility.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the suspect allegedly administered the substance to the children from a cup, leaving both unconscious.
The police said preliminary investigations indicated that Abdullahi allegedly committed the act because she had been unable to bear a child for her husband.
She reportedly told investigators that a friend influenced her decision to poison the children, who are said to be her husband’s children from his other wife.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, said the police received a report about the incident at the Lapai Divisional Police Headquarters at about 6am on November 6, 2026.
According to him, police operatives immediately mobilised to the community, where they discovered that the two children had become unconscious after allegedly drinking the suspected poisonous substance.
He said the victims were rushed to a nearby clinic for emergency treatment, but one of them was pronounced dead on arrival, while the other was referred to a general hospital, where she was responding to treatment.
Abiodun added that the suspect was arrested and had been undergoing interrogation.
He said, “The suspect was arrested and she is undergoing further interrogation. She claimed that she was influenced by a friend to commit the act because she couldn’t bear a child for her husband.
“She will soon be transferred to SCID Minna for diligent prosecution.”
The police spokesperson said the suspect would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Minna, for further investigation and prosecution.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over domestic violence and the safety of children in family settings, particularly where tensions arise from strained relationships among spouses.
The police have yet to disclose the identity of the deceased child or provide further details about the substance allegedly administered to the victims.
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