Rejected Suitor, Accomplices Flog 17-Year-Old Girl In Bauchi

A 17-year-old girl, Hajara Adamu Suleiman, has been brutally flogged with about 70 lashes in Bauchi metropolis after allegedly rejecting a suitor, sparking outrage after a video of the assault went viral.

LEADERSHIP reports that the disturbing footage, which circulated widely on social media, showed the teenager being whipped by one of the trio, drawing condemnation and renewed calls for justice for her.

Hajara, a resident of Hardo Street, was reportedly attacked by her rejected suitor, Ibrahim Huji, who allegedly led two accomplices, identified as Hussaini and Salehi, in the assault.

Speaking in an audio clip, which Spokesperson of Bauchi Police Command, SP Nafi’u Habib shared with journalists, Hajara claimed that the assailants traced her to the Gida-Dubu area of Bauchi, where she had gone to visit one of her friends.

Hajara said she had not disclosed her whereabouts to Huji and was shocked that he knew where to find her.

“I did not tell him where I was, and I don’t know how he found out that I went to my friend’s house in Gida-Dubu,” she said.

Hajara also alleged that she had previously warned Huji to stop posting her pictures on TikTok, a request she said he ignored.

Her friend, Hussaina Usman, 19, a resident of the Zango area who got married barely two weeks ago, confirmed that the incident occurred in her matrimonial home.

She disclosed that Huji was her former boyfriend and that they still communicate on the phone.

“On that day, he called me and said he was around. I then allowed him and his friends into my house,” Hussaina said.

Bauchi State Police Command confirmed the arrest of one of the suspects, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining two for prosecution.

The police also confirmed that the victim had been rescued, as investigations continue into the incident.