20-year-old nailed on head over alleged chicken theft

A 20-year-old man, Aliyu Nuhu, sustained a head injury after vigilante members allegedly hammered a five-inch nail into his skull over claims that he stole a chicken in Zaria, Kaduna State.

Confirming the incident, the victim’s father, Mallam Salisu Nuhu, popularly known as Babande, accused two vigilante members in the area of inflicting the injuries.

Babande said he had asked his son to sell a chicken at the market, but he was arrested by vigilante members who suspected him of theft.

“They detained him and interrogated him with severe punishment, to the extent of nailing a five-inch nail into his head,” he said.

He explained that when his son failed to return home, a vigilante member asked him to follow him to their office at Anguwar Sirdi, Limancin Kona Ward, where he was told his son had been arrested for theft. He said the vigilantes demanded N5,000 as bail but later allowed him to take his son home when he said he had no money.

According to him, it was after getting home that he noticed injuries on his son’s head and was told that a nail had been driven into it. He said they returned to the vigilante office and proceeded to a nearby chemist with one of the suspects, identified as Nuhu.

The chemist reportedly referred them to the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, after assessing the injury. Babande said they were required to obtain a police report before treatment commenced.

He added that the nail remained in the boy’s head for 13 days before it was surgically removed and that the family spent over N800,000 on medical bills.

Speaking, the victim identified Nuhu Dan Banga as the person who hammered the nail into his head during interrogation. He said he lost consciousness during the torture.

Confirming the incident, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Zaria City Division, Nura Abubakar, said one suspect had been arrested, while another was still at large. He assured that the suspects would be prosecuted once investigations were concluded.

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