A middle-aged woman has died after setting herself ablaze at the family residence of Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, in Bauchi.
Eyewitnesses said the woman, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, arrived at the house in a commercial tricycle carrying a gallon of petrol.
She reportedly asked to see Yelwa Abubakar Balewa, daughter of the late Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency.
Upon learning that Yelwa was not at home, the woman poured petrol on herself at the entrance of the house and ignited it with a match. Bystanders rushed to extinguish the flames but only worsened the situation.
She was immediately taken to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, where she later died from severe burns.
Police spokesperson in Bauchi State, Ahmed Wakil, confirmed the incident and said investigations were ongoing.
Preliminary findings, he added, revealed that the deceased had a history of mental illness that reportedly developed after the birth of her last child.
“She was rescued alive and admitted at ATBUTH, where her statement was taken before she later passed away,” Wakil stated, adding that the police commiserated with the victim’s family.