Vigilante Accused of Driving Nail into Zaria Youth’s Head

By BANNERNEWS Reporter
ZARIA—Two vigilante members have been accused of driving a 5-inch nail into the head of 20-year-old Aliyu Nuhu, in a shocking case of alleged corporal punishment.
The victim’s father, Mallam Salisu Nuhu, popularly known as Babande, said his son was sent to the market to sell one of their chickens when he was apprehended by the vigilantes, who suspected him of theft.
“I later learnt that while selling the chicken, the vigilante members arrested him, accused him of stealing, and subjected him to extreme interrogation,” Babande said. “They went as far as hammering a 5-inch nail into his head.”
Babande, a motor mechanic, explained that when he returned home in the evening, his son had not come back. While inquiring about him, a vigilante member summoned him to their office in Anguwar Sirdi, Limancin Kona Ward, Zaria.
“On arrival, I was told my son was arrested for theft, but seeing him in that condition was heartbreaking,” Babande recalled. “They demanded a bail fee of five thousand naira. I told them I had no money, so they allowed me to take my son home and bring the money the next day.”
Upon returning home, Babande discovered the wound and learned from his son that the nail was still lodged in his head. The father rushed his son back to the vigilante office, insisting on treatment. They first visited a private chemist, who referred them to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) in Shika. Babande said they also obtained a covering letter from the Zaria Police Division before admission, spending over eight hundred thousand naira on treatment.
Aliyu Nuhu, the victim, identified Mallam Nuhu Dan Banga as the vigilante responsible. “I asked them to call my father to confirm the chicken belonged to us, but they refused and continued the interrogation. I fainted when Nuhu Dan Banga hammered the nail into my head. It stayed there for 13 days before surgery removed it,” he said.
The Divisional Police Officer of Zaria City, Nura Abubakar, confirmed the arrest of one suspect. “One of the suspects has been apprehended, while the other is still at large. As soon as he is caught, we will prosecute them in court,” he assured.