The Borno State Police Command has arrested a couple for physically assaulting an 11-year-old girl, Hauwa Goni, after she entered their property in the Pompomari area of Maiduguri.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent Nahum Daso, the suspects, Muhammad Shetima and Aisha Abubakar, were apprehended after a video of the assault went viral on social media.
The statement detailed that on March 19, 2025, Hauwa Goni, a Primary 5 pupil of Bolori Primary School, Federal Low Cost, entered the compound of Muhammad Shetima, 33, allegedly to pluck mangoes. In response, Shetima and his wife, Aisha Abubakar, 23, confronted the child and subjected her to severe flogging. During the assault, Aisha Abubakar filmed the incident and shared it online.
Public outrage ensued after the video circulated, prompting swift intervention from civil society organizations and concerned citizens. A petition from Potential Attorneys and efforts by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Borno State Command, led to the couple’s arrest.
Authorities have confirmed that the victim was taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where she is receiving medical care and is responding to treatment.
“The suspects are currently in custody at the Gender Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Maiduguri as investigations continue ahead of prosecution,” Daso stated.
He reassured the public that the case would be thoroughly investigated and that the suspects would be charged under the Child Protection Law and the Borno State Penal Code. The police command has also pledged to provide further updates as the investigation progresses.
