Woman suspected of poisoning two children in Nigeria
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
A woman, Mariya Abdullahi, is suspected of giving a toxic substance to her co-wife’s two children in Takuti, Niger State, Nigeria, causing the death of one of them. Nigerian police confirmed the incident on 7 November and announced an investigation.
A woman, Mariya Abdullahi, is suspected of giving a presumed toxic substance to her co-wife’s two children in Takuti, in the Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria. One of the children, aged four, died after ingesting the substance and the other, aged nine, was hospitalised, according to Niger State police cited by Punch.
Niger State police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said the incident was reported on 6 November 2026 at around 6am at the Lapai division. The two children had been taken to a clinic after losing consciousness, before the surviving victim was transferred to a general hospital for treatment, according to police.
Mariya Abdullahi was arrested and questioned. She reportedly told police that she had acted because she had not had a child with her husband and that a friend had encouraged her to commit the act. Police plan to transfer her to the state criminal investigations department in Minna for further proceedings, according to Wasiu Abiodun.
