Car Wash Worker Kills Colleague Over Earnings

A car wash worker, Sallau Liman Katagum, has allegedly killed his friend, Ibrahim Jadda, following a dispute reportedly linked to the sharing of earnings in Bauchi.

The incident occurred on Thursday at a busy car wash in the Kofar Gombe area of Bauchi metropolis, along Gombe Road.

Sources familiar with the incident said the two men had worked together at the facility, where they reportedly developed a lingering disagreement over the sharing of proceeds from their business.

According to one of the sources, Jadda arrived at the garage earlier than his colleague on Thursday and entered their cubicle to change his clothes and prepare for the day’s work.

A car and a carpet were reportedly awaiting his attention when Sallau arrived a few minutes later.

The source alleged that Sallau entered the cubicle, where Jadda was preparing for work, and attacked him with a dagger, stabbing him in the chest.

He was said to have locked the cubicle before fleeing the scene, leaving the victim seriously injured.

Another source, who works at a nearby car wash facility, said the incident was discovered after workers and other people around the garage became concerned that business had not started despite customers waiting to be attended to.

“After a while, people started asking why the garage was not operating when there was work waiting. Neither Ibrahim nor Sallau was around, and this got us worried,” the source said.

He added that some people confirmed seeing both men arrive at the garage earlier that morning but could not explain what had happened.

According to him, attempts to locate the workers led people to the cubicle, which was found locked.

“When they forced the door open, Ibrahim was found lying in a pool of blood. He was still alive but in critical condition,” he said.

The victim was subsequently rushed to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, for medical attention after the police were informed of the incident.

However, he was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

The sources alleged that the suspect fled immediately after the attack but was subsequently traced to Maraban Liman Katagum in Bauchi local government area, where he was arrested by the police.

One of the sources further alleged that the disagreement between the two men had persisted for some time, particularly over the sharing of business proceeds.

He claimed that the disagreement worsened after the two reportedly parted ways without conducting their usual end-of-business stocktaking and profit-sharing exercise.

The source suggested that the unresolved dispute might have contributed to the attack.

When our correspondent contacted the Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, he confirmed the incident, saying the suspect was in Police custody.

Habib said preliminary information indicated that the incident stemmed from a dispute over the sharing of earnings.

He added that the command would provide a comprehensive account of the incident after the completion of investigation.