A nurse in Zaria, Kaduna State, was brutally killed after resisting assailants who tried to steal her cell phone, according to reports from local news sources and her family.
The victim, Hadiza Musa, who served as the Deputy Head of the Maternity Unit at Gambo Sawaba General Hospital,Kofar gayan, Zaria, died over the weekend after the violent street attack.
Dawn Herald gathered that Hadiza Musa was targeted in a robbery attempt on Saturday evening, in the Tudun Wada area of Zaria, while she was on a commercial motorcycle, known as an “okada”, on her way home.
Hadiza’s husband, Hamza Ibrahim Idris, based in Abuja, recounted that she had told him she planned to visit a salon and an Islamic chemist before heading home.
My wife called to tell me on Saturday that she was going to the saloon to make her hair and then visit an Islamic chemist in Filin Mallawa, Tudun wada Zaria which I gave my consent to – Hamza Idris
Their last contact was when she left the chemist around 6pm. Mr. Idris lost contact afterward and learned the next day that she had suffered a severe assault while riding a commercial motorcycle home.
Our last call was when she left the chemist around 6pm, immediately after I transferred some money to her. And from then, I couldn’t get her on the line again…her hands were squeezed, there were clear signs, showing someone forced her hands while trying to snatch the phone. They also hit her very hard on the head, which I believe led to her death
After falling into a coma, she was found lying by the roadside and rushed to ABU Teaching Hospital, where she was confirmed dead.
Phone snatching has become a frequent and dangerous crime in high-traffic urban areas across Nigeria. Criminals often use violence to ensure compliance and quick escape, with severe injury or death, as in this case, being tragically common outcomes.
Residents and the family of the victims argue that the current state of security in Zaria, Kaduna State is unacceptable, demanding urgent intervention from the state government and the police to flood crime hotspots with patrols and surveillance. They assert that people cannot go about their daily lives safely.
Police authorities in Kaduna State have yet to release an official statement regarding the incident, as at the time this report was published.
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