A 13-year-old boy, Mubarak Mohammed, of Udubo village in Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, has died following a firearm incident involving a loaded Dane gun.
The Bauchi State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, on Sunday.
The Command said a 35-year-old hunter, Suleiman Hamza, had allegedly returned from hunting at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and left his loaded Dane gun inside his room before going out.
According to the police, the teenager subsequently entered the room and suffered fatal injuries in an accidental discharge involving the firearm.
The PPRO said detectives attached to the Gamawa Division were immediately mobilised to the scene to commence a preliminary investigation.
‘The victim was evacuated to the General Hospital, Gamawa, for post-mortem examination, where the medical doctor on duty confirmed him dead,’ Nafiu Habib stated.
He added that photographs were taken before the remains were released to the victim’s relatives for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
‘The suspect has been arrested, preliminary investigation was concluded, and the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation,’ the statement added.
The police said the investigation was aimed at establishing the circumstances surrounding the incident and determining responsibility.
Police foil robbery attempt
Meanwhile, the Command said its operatives had foiled an armed robbery attempt along the Kajala-Kere Road and recovered two stolen motorcycles.
Nafiu Habib said the incident occurred on Saturday at about 9:45 p.m. after suspected hoodlums armed with cutlasses and sticks reportedly blocked the road and dispossessed four residents of Kere village of their belongings.
He said, ‘On 5th September, 2026 at about 2145hrs, a report received from the Officer-in-Charge, Kajala Police Outstation, on the outskirts of Burra, indicated that yet-to-be-identified hoodlums armed with cutlasses and sticks blocked the Kajala-Kere road and dispossessed one Mr Ado and three others, all male of Kere village, of two Bajaj motorcycles, two Android phones and a power bank.’
According to him, a combined team of policemen from the Burra Division and vigilantes was immediately mobilised to the scene following the report.
‘The hoodlums, on sighting the team, abandoned the stolen motorcycles, aborted their mission and fled to an unknown destination,’ he stated.
The PPRO said the operatives recovered the motorcycles and searched the surrounding bushes in an effort to apprehend the fleeing suspects and recover the remaining stolen items.
The Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, commended the operatives for their prompt response, which he said foiled the robbery attempt.
He also expressed sadness over the death of the teenager in Gamawa and cautioned hunters and other firearm owners to exercise utmost care in handling weapons.
According to Nafiu Habib, Sani-Omolori Aliyu urged firearm owners to keep their weapons securely and out of children’s reach to prevent avoidable loss of lives.
The Commissioner reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property and urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to the police.