Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 35-year-old woman farmer, Rifkatu Yohanna, in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi state.

The spokesman of the Bauchi police command, Ahmed Wakili, said on Wednesday that the deceased was killed by assailants on a farm on Monday, September 20 in Tafawa Balewa.

“On Monday, at about 8:45 p.m. on September 20, a distress call was put through to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Tafawa Balewa concerning one Rifkatu Yohanna, 35, of Tafawa Balewa town.

“She went to the farm on the same date at about 8:00 a.m. and did not return home.

“A combined search team was deployed by the DPOs in Tafawa Balewa and Bununu. Her corpse was recovered in the bush near a hamlet.

“Violence erupted in Tafawa Balewa when some people staged a protest. Some youths hauled stones and damaged the patrol vehicle of Bununu division as a result of which some of them sustained injuries,” he said.

Mr Wakili said that four suspects were arrested in respect of the incident, adding that the command would leave no stone unturned to apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice.

According to him, the command has deployed its personnel to fight crimes across the state.

He urged the people to report suspicious persons, movements and criminal activities to the police.

Mr Wakili said that the Commissioner of Police, Sylvester Alabi, has directed a discreet investigation into the case.

The Bauchi state government had earlier condemned the murder of the woman in Tafawa Balewa.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Kashim, described the murder as a dastardly act perpetrated to breach the relative peace in the state.

Mr Kashim said that the state government had directed security agencies to arrest the culprits and reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting lives and property.

He called on the people to remain calm and resist the temptation to take the law into their hands.