RECENTLY, a gory scene unfolded in Durbar Hotel, Badawa, Kano, where a 25-year-old woman, one Maimunatu Idris, allegedly launched a bloody attack on her long-time boyfriend whom she accused of planning to dump her. According to reports, the suspect, irked by the man’s termination of their relationship, hatched a plan to exact maximum revenge. She invited him to the hotel for a rendezvous, then proceeded to sever his manhood!

Detailing the build-up to the dastardly episode, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said that trouble started when the suspect discovered her boyfriend’s plan to marry another woman, then lured him to the hotel in question. The suspect was immediately apprehended by staffers of the hotel, who then contacted the police. Kiyawa added that on receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer in the area led a team of detectives to the scene, where the suspect was arrested and the weapon recovered as exhibit. He added that the victim was rushed to Abubakar Imam Urology Hospital, where he is receiving emergency medical care. Also reacting to the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, condemned the attack in strong terms and warned members of the public against jungle justice and taking the law into their own hands. He said: “The Command will conduct a thorough investigation and ensure the suspect is prosecuted in accordance with the law.”

The facts leading to the victim’s break-up with the suspect are not known, but events since that development have opened a window into the dark, cruel and heartless world in which she lives. When the suspect invited the victim to a hotel, she apparently did so under a facade of friendship. No one in active control of their faculties would head to any venue knowing that they could come to grievous harm. As it is, the suspect put not only the life of her victim but the business premises where the terrible episode took place in jeopardy. The victim is currently in hospital and even if he does pull through, he will remain maimed for life, and will have to rely on extensive, costly medical support to navigate the rest of his life’s course. On its own part, the hotel, because of the symbolism of the incident and allied emotional connections it will stoke among members of the public, could lose a significant portion of its clientele and patronage as people question the security arrangements put in place in the facility, which the suspect was able to breach. Hotels do not typically provide guests with kitchen knives, and questions will linger regarding precisely how the suspect was able to gain access into the premises bearing the exhibit that has since been recovered by the police.

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To be sure, heartbreak can be painful, especially one associated with a long-term relationship involving the promise of marriage. We recognise the emotional letdown that people who have been jilted may feel, and the fact that they may not always respond to the development in the most rational way possible. But violence is never the solution. The world would be an impossible place to live in if everyone who was jilted or dumped by their love reached for a knife, intent on doing maximum damage. Yes, she may have been deeply hurt by the suspect, but she had time to reflect on the issue and chose not to pursue her case in court. If she had concrete evidence that the victim promised her marriage and then reneged, she would not have been barred from presenting them before a court of law. That is, of course, assuming that marriage, and not just the mere continuation of the romantic relationship she enjoyed with the victim, was her goal in that relationship. In any case, failure to honour a marriage pledge is a civil matter, and not every relationship can lead to marriage. Besides, it is better to have a failed relationship than to experience a failed marriage. One is temporarily painful; the other can cause life-long pain.

As it turned out, she had the time to plan her action, and probably used some means to demobilise the man and set upon him. In all probability, the suspect in this case will be charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm, and will have to prove to the court of law that she did not commit the crime. Morality and law are not the same, but the suspect does not even seem to have a moral case. Nobody has the right to resort to self-help. We do not encourage anyone to go the route of self-help. Cutting up an alleged offender’s manhood is a chillingly brutal step to take. People entering into relationships must learn to let their brains, not their muscles, rule them. Whatever the reasons behind the action, a crime has been committed, and police investigation should be thorough. Although the victim, having supposedly moved on from this murderous lady, had no business agreeing to a rendezvous, that still does not justify the action of the suspect. Nobody deserves to be killed; no one has the power to take another person’s life outside the boundaries delineated by the law. The suspect may plead aggravating circumstances, but that kind of defence is unlikely to stand her in good stead. If she planned the crime, she has to spend the time.

We urge state governments, the media, religious bodies and NGOs to keep enlightening people on how to manage emotional issues. The various faiths subscribed to in the country provide means of dealing with difficult decisions and overcoming life’s challenges. We condemn the alleged resort to brutal tactics in this case. The laws of the land do not provide for a resort to self-help under any circumstance, and we urge the Kano State government to use this case to send a strong signal to would-be offenders. A person who severs another person’s genitals while jealously protecting her own has to suffer the consequences prescribed by the laws of the land. No two ways about it.