Sadiya died in the late hours of Saturday at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) shortly after she was transferred to its Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Sadiya, a mother of four, who got married on April 24, 2010, to a businessman in Nguru LGA of Yobe State, Ibrahim Yunusa Bature, was said to have been locked up by the husband for several months amid hunger and illness.
Sadiya’s mother, Hadiza Hassan, confirmed that she had once rescued her daughter from her husband when she travelled to see her and found her in that situation.
She explained that, “I was experiencing nightmares about Sadiya for a long time and anytime I called her husband, he gave the phone to the children and they would lie when I requested to talk to her; that she was sleeping or would say she is not disposed at that moment.
“At last, I travelled to Nguru. I was greeted by the children. I didn’t see their mother. So I peeped into her room through the window and behold she was there, just lying down; helpless.
“I forcefully took my daughter back home, and as you can see, she is not herself. When I inquired, I was told that the husband only fed her with pap and roasted hasbiya (wild dove). I had to wean her 11-month-old child because of her situation.”
“We still can’t understand why pap every day, the hasbiya and a liquid mixture with bad odour being sprayed on her body, You can’t even comprehend what she is saying.”
She then added that they were suspecting the husband to have used her daughter for ritual and was trying to starve her to death.
The husband is currently in police custody and full investigation, while investigations have commenced.