The police in Katsina State have commenced an investigation into the death of a teenage girl, identified as Ummul Khair, who allegedly died after being beaten by her father.

The suspect, Kabir Sani, a commercial driver and a resident of the Shagari Low-Cost area of Katsina metropolis, was arrested by operatives of the Katsina Central Market Police Division shortly after the incident.

Residents told Daily Trust that the deceased, believed to be between 16 and 18 years, had resisted repeated efforts by her father to marry her off to his preferred suitor, a disagreement they said had created tension within the family.

According to witnesses, the father allegedly began assaulting his daughter on Wednesday. Neighbours said they became alarmed after hearing her cries and repeatedly knocked on the door in an attempt to intervene, but Kabir Sani allegedly refused to let anyone into the house.

The beating reportedly continued into Thursday morning until the teenager became unconscious.

The incident was exposed when some of the deceased’s friends visited the house on Thursday morning intending to accompany her to school.

They reportedly found her lifeless while her father was preparing her body for burial and immediately alerted neighbours, who in turn notified the police.

“We heard her crying throughout the night and tried several times to intervene, but her father refused to open the door. By Thursday morning, we learnt she had died. Everyone in the neighbourhood was devastated,” a witness said.

Another resident said the teenager had insisted on deciding her own future, while her father remained determined to marry her to a man of his choice.

The deceased was buried on Thursday morning at the Abbatoir Cemetery in Katsina metropolis in accordance with Islamic rites.

Police sources confirmed that the suspect remains in custody at the Katsina Central Market Police Division as detectives investigate the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Katsina State Police Command, DSP Sadik Aliyu, said he was aware of the incident but would provide further details after the conclusion of the ongoing investigation.

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