CITIZENS COMPASS—Four months after his conjugal bliss, ome unknown men have reportedly shot dead Jafar Abdullahi Dabawu, an aide to the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Comrade Yakubu Garba.
He was reportedly shot dead in the presence of his newly wedded wife and his child from a previous marriage.
Dabawu was shot dead at his residence in Maitumbi area of Minna, following an attack by his assailants.
The residence was said to be adjacent to a Police station.
Spokesperson, Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, yesterday, confirmed the incident in a statement.
Dabawu, who also served as President of the Minna Emirate Youth Association (MEYA), was attacked in the early hours of Thursday.
He was said to have been married for about four months.
The untimely death reportedly occurred at about 2:00 a.m. inside the apartment.
“Jafar was staying with his newly wedded wife and his teenage daughter from a previous marriage when they noticed that the entrance door to their living room had been left open around 2 a.m. He went into the parlour to ask who was there, but got no response. Moments later, he was stabbed in the upper part of his chest by an assailant suspected to have been hiding inside the apartment at the time,” a source said.
It was also gathered that Jafar was killed the night he returned from Kuta in the Shiroro Local Government Area, where he went to participate in a primary election.
“The family said they only saw one person dressed in a jalabiya and wearing a face mask. Jafar sustained a facial injury and a stab wound to the chest,” the source said.
Sources also confirmed to SaharaReporters that the victim was an aide to the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Comrade Yakubu Garba, and also served as President of the Minna Emirate Youth Association (MEYA).
The spokesperson stated that officers responded after an alarm was raised in the Maitumbi area and found the victim in a pool of blood before he was taken to hospital where he was confirmed dead.
“On 21/5/2026 at about 3.30am, an alarm was heard shouting for help in Maitumbi area, opposite the police station, and policemen moved to the scene and met a victim who was later identified as Jafar Abdullahi Dabaru in a pool of blood. He was immediately taken to Minna general hospital by the police, where he was confirmed dead.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that some miscreants wearing face masks trespassed to the deceased’s house, attacked and injured him on the chest and the face. The unfortunate incident is under investigation and effort to identify the suspects is ongoing.”
Meanwhile, the state deputy governor, Garbe, in a statement on Thursday signed by his Press Secretary, Ummikhaltume Abdullahi Kuta, “commiserated with the family of the slain Minna Emirate Youth Association President Jaafar Dabawu Abdullahi, over the unfortunate incident that led to his death”.
Garbe described the incident as “tragic and painful, noting that the loss of a loved one under such circumstances is heartbreaking and unfortunate.”
The deputy governor “prayed to Almighty God to grant the deceased eternal rest and give the bereaved family the strength and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss”.
He also called on relevant authorities to ensure that justice is served and urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding as investigations continue.
—Sahara Reporters
