Tambuwal visits student whose hands were cut-off by assailants

Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State on Tuesday visited a hospitalised student, Habibu Abubakar, whose hands were cut-off by assailants.

Abubakar’s assailants also made away with his motorcycle after cutting off his hands in the Sokoto metropolis.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident occurred on April 6 at the Nakasari area of Sokoto.

Abubakar, a 22-year-old 200-level student of Linguistics at the Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto, is on admission at the Orthopaedic Hospital, Wamakko in Sokoto State.

Tambuwal, who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Manniru Daniya, described the cutting of Abubakar’s arms as barbaric.

He said that the Sokoto government would not condone such acts and expressed his optimism that this would be the last of such incidents to be seen in the state.

“The governor mandated me to come and visit you and your family to assure you that efforts are being made to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

Tambuwal assured that the state would foot Abubakar’s bills and offered prayers for Allah to flush out the bandits from the state.

He recalled that few weeks ago, another youth, Abdullahi Shehu, was attacked by thugs, who cut-off one of his arms.

The governor said that Shehu had to be flown to Abuja to see if his hand could be fixed but that there was no solution.

The deputy governor was accompanied on the visit by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Bashir Garba; Commissioner for Health, Dr Ali Inname and a former Commissioner for Health, Dr Shehu Balarabe Kakale, among others.

Speaking to newsmen earlier, the victim said that the attackers hit him in the head and with blood gushing down his face, one of the attackers used a sharp object to cut off his two hands.

He said that after cutting his hands, the attackers went away with his motorcycle and abandoned him.

Speaking on the patient’s condition, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Nurudeen Aliyu, said that the patient was brought to the hospital with both hands cut-off.

Aliyu said, however, that the patient had stabilised in the hospital, recalling that he was initially bleeding and that the bleeding could have led to his death.

He disclosed that medical examinations and operations would be conducted to refashion the portion that had been cut-off and put prosthesis or artificial limbs if possible.

Reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Sokoto State Command, ASP. Abubakar Sadiq, told newsmen that the police were aware of the incident.

Sadiq said that a suspect had been taken into custody on the incident, adding that investigation had commenced on the incident.