Sokoto State Police Command has arrested Malami Gebawa of Durbawa village in Kware local government area of Sokoto State for allegedly breaking his wife’s leg and hand because she sought medical attention without his consent.
Spokesperson of the command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i said on Friday that the man was arrested.
“Yes, he is with us. But I am not yet briefed about the incident. I will call you back as soon as I get the details of his arrest,” he told our correspondent.
Narrating her ordeal, the victim, Malama Halimatu Sadiya who is currently on admission at Wamakko Orthopedic Hospital, said her husband broke her leg and hand because he saw drugs in her back after returning from her sick mother’s home.
“I have been sick for about four months. I know he (her husband) did his best by calling a health worker who came and administered drips to me but the sickness persisted.
“I had been pleading with him to allow me to go to the hospital but he declined. There was even my relative who volunteered to take me to the hospital but he refused.
“So when I went to see my sick mother, I consulted the health personnel who was attending to her and he gave me some drugs.
“When I came back home and he saw the drugs, he started quarrelling that, I went to the hospital without his permission. I told him it was the health worker that is attending my mother who gave me the drugs.
“He then insisted on seeing the health worker and I agreed to take him to him.
“While I was dressing up in my room, he came in, locked the door and started beating me with his vigilante’s stick until I fainted.
“When he realized that, he broke my leg and hand, he started crying, pleading with me not to tell anybody what happened between us and in case somebody ask me I should say I was knocked down by an Okada man.
Earlier, the husband, Malami while confessing to his offence, described it as an act of the devil.
Her offence, he said was that, she went to the hospital without his permission despite all the efforts being made to cater for his family members who fall sick.
“When she came back from seeing her sick mother, I saw something concealed in the bucket she came home with and enquired to know its contents which she refused to disclose to me.
“I insisted on seeing the contents. Then, I snatched the bucket and attempted to run away with it but she held my cloth from behind and torn it. When I checked into the bucket I saw hospital card, some drugs and plastic kettles.
“I then asked her why did she go to the hospital without telling me and she knew I always response to their medical needs because even last week I brought a health worker who treated her of diarrhea ,” he said
Malami, however, denied beating her with stick, saying it was when she was pursuing him to get back her bucket that she fell down and sustained fractures on her leg and hand.
“After breaking her leg and hand, I brought a traditional bone setter who set her bones back and later her relatives brought another bone setter who I gave N50,000 to reset the bones and spent another N25,000 on drugs.
“I am now providing for her and the woman looking after her despite my lean resources because I am a farmer and a leader of the vigilante group in my community,” he said.
Malami who was regretting his actions admitted that, ” I caused her injury and I am ready to bear the consequences of my actions.
“But please don’t let her leave me because I love her so much and I know she loves me too. What happened is an act of a devil. Please try and convince her not to leave me,” he pleaded.
On why he was not allowing his family members to go to hospital, he said “because there is no a functional clinic in our area.
