The decomposed remains of Mallam Awwal Yakubu, a 45-year-old Quranic teacher and father of seven, have been found in an uncompleted building at the Talba Housing Estate in Niger State, days after he was declared missing.
Yakubu, who ran a Quranic school in Barkin Saleh, was last seen on December 4, prompting heightened concern within the community.
His body was eventually discovered on Monday, December 8, by children from the estate who were searching for a missing fowl.
Local accounts indicated that a pack of matches and a bottle of tiger nut drink were found beside the body, while his clothing and footwear were scattered at different spots within the building, raising questions about what transpired before his death.
“This is sad, barbaric, and agonising. May Almighty God continue to protect us from such catastrophic incidents. Ameen,” a resident lamented in distress.
Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, saying the command received a report around 10 am on December 7 that a corpse had been sighted behind Talba Estate, Bida Road, Kpakungu.
According to him, “Relatives later identified the remains as Awwal Yakubu, a 45-year-old resident of the area.”
Police operatives from the Kpakungu Division evacuated the body to the hospital, with preliminary findings suggesting it may have been dumped at the site.
SP Abiodun added that investigations have commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death.
The community remains in mourning as residents await further updates from authorities on the mysterious and disturbing incident.