Thursday, July 16, 2026

Jigawa: ‘Heartbroken’ Nigerian woman self-immolates over divorce

A 40-year-old woman from Garin Mallam set herself alight and got burnt beyond recognition on the outskirts of the village.

• August 23, 2024
Image of person on fire
Image of person on fire[ credit : Istock]

A 40-year-old woman set herself on fire after her husband divorced her in Guri LGA in Jigawa, the police said.

A police spokesman in Jigawa, Lawan Shiisu, confirmed the incident in a statement in Dutse on Friday.

Mr Shiisu said the woman resided in Garin Mallam village.

“On Thursday at about 0740hrs, the command received a heartbreaking and pitiful incident from Guri LGA that a woman, aged 40 of Garin Mallam village, poured petrol on her body, set herself ablaze and got burnt beyond recognition on the outskirts of the village.

“Following this report, a squad of officers from the Guri Divisional Police Headquarters raced to the scene and verified the incident. The officers took the charred body to the hospital and later released the corpse to the family for burial,” Mr Shiisu said.

He explained that a preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased experienced depression a few months following her divorce from her husband.

According to him, the police commissioner, Ahmadu Abdullahi, advised people to always submit their affairs to God for a way out.

Mr Abdullahi also advised people to always seek advice and counselling from their elders on complex issues to avoid such unfortunate incidents.

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