Ed-el-Kabir: Accidental discharge claims woman's life in Emir's palace

A stray bullet from one of the royal guards attached to the Suleja Emirate Council on Monday during the Ed-El–Kabir celebration at the palace of the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Awal Ibrahim hit a 40 year-old woman at the head.

The woman identified as Hajiya Isa Aishatu, met her death while watching the annual traditional durbar (horse race) that marked the concluding part of the Muslim festival at the palace ground.

Our Correspondent reliably gathered that the unfortunate incident occurred at about around 6:15 pm, on the fateful day just as the Durbar was about to be rounded up and as it is the tradition that royal gunmen’s fire their dane guns sporadic into the air at intervals to spice the occasion.

It was further learnt that on the fateful evening, one out of the several royal gunmen that usually adds colour to the celebration had an accidental discharge that led to the death of the 40 year-old female victim who was said to have been standing on the balcony of the palace watching the spectacle of the Durbar celebration.

According to our source who pleaded anonymity, "the stray bullet pierced through her fore head from one of the palace gunman.

Further check revealed that no sooner that Hajia A’ishatu Isa Abdullahi was shot than she was rushed to a nearby hospital in the community, but she gave up the ghost on the way to the hospital before medical personnel could attend to her.

It was furthered gathered that the victim who was a civil servant until her untimely death, had never attended the durbar festival before last Monday, as the ill fated one she attended last Monday at the Suleja Emir’s palace turned out to be the first and the last in her life time.

The source said that the deceased was survived by her husband and four children and she has since been buried according to Islamic rites .

Also, the secretary to the Suleja Emirate Council, Mallam Sani Ibrahim informed the Our Correspondent in a telephone interview that he did not know what took place in the palace because on the fateful day the durbar took place, he was away to Maje village.

According to him, "on the day you asked, I was not in the palace. I was away to Maje in Suleja Local Government of  Niger state ”.

When Contacted, the state Police  Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Pius Edobor, a Superintendent of Police, however denied knowledge of  the incident on Tuesday during an interview with the Nigerian Compass.  He said, “the police were yet to get any official report on the incident”.

The Compass