What began as an argument over an unpaid cigarette, reportedly ended with the death of a tea seller and a police manhunt that stretched beyond Adamawa State.
Muhammad Auwal Idris, a tea seller at Banga, Nassarawo Borehole, Jimeta, Adamawa State, was allegedly attacked and fatally assaulted on September 28, 2026, following a disagreement in the area.
Days after the incident, the Adamawa State Police Command announced the arrest of three young men it suspects may have been involved in the killing.
The suspects, according to the Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, are Isah Yakubu, also known as Sangalo, of Nassarawo, Jimeta; Japhet Hassan, aka Slow, of Banga, Nassarawo; and Eric Alfred, aka Mamaji, of Nassarawo, Jimeta.
The police said preliminary investigations points to an earlier argument involving Yakubu, who allegedly took a cigarette from a shop without paying for it.
Idris, who was reportedly at the scene to buy seasoning, was said to have become involved in the argument.
What happened next, according to the police account, transformed an apparently ordinary disagreement into a fatal confrontation.
The command alleged that Yakubu invited Hassan and Alfred the following day, after which the three suspects reportedly followed Idris to his workplace.
There, the police said, Idris was allegedly attacked and severely beaten. The assault reportedly left the tea seller unconscious.
He was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but a medical doctor later confirmed his death.
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With the report of the killing reaching the police, the state Commissioner of Police, Kabir Hassan, ordered an intensive manhunt for the suspects.
The search did not end in Adamawa State. According to the command, the suspects fled to the neighbouring Taraba State in an apparent attempt to evade arrest.
Investigators, however, reportedly tracked them through intelligence-led operations and collaboration across state boundaries.
Their eventual arrest has provided the police with an opportunity to unravel the circumstances surrounding Idris’s death and determine the individual roles, if any, of the three suspects.
Hassan commended the police officers involved in the investigation and arrests, describing their efforts as diligent and professional.
He subsequently directed the deputy commissioner of police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure diligent prosecution of the case.
For Idris’s family, the police investigation comes after the sudden loss of a man who, according to the account released by the command, was simply at the scene to purchase seasoning before he became caught up in an argument that ultimately cost him his life.
The commissioner assured the deceased’s family and members of the public that the command would pursue the case to ensure justice.
He also urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding, warning against attempts to take the law into their own hands.
As investigators continue their work, the police have appealed to eyewitnesses and other members of the public who may have useful information about the incident to come forward.
The command said such information could help investigators establish what happened before, during and after the alleged assault.
For now, the arrest of the three suspects marks a significant development in the case, but the investigation remains ongoing.
The suspects’ alleged roles will ultimately be determined through the investigative and judicial process.
