A nurse identified as Hadiza Musa, Deputy Head of the Maternity Unit at Gambo Sawaba General Hospital, Kofar Gayan, Zaria, has been killed by suspected phone snatchers while returning home from work.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening when the mother of six was attacked by hoodlums along the Mallawa Eid Ground in Tudun Wada, Zaria, shortly after leaving an Islamic chemist where she had stopped to buy some items.
Confirming the tragic development, her husband, Hamza Ibrahim Idris, who works in Abuja, recounted that his wife had called to inform him of her movements earlier in the day. “She told me she was going to the salon and would also stop by the Islamic chemist. That was our last conversation around 6 p.m. I sent her some money afterwards, but when I tried calling again, her line was unreachable,” he said.
According to Idris, he later learnt that his wife boarded a commercial motorcycle at about 6:30 p.m. on her way home when she was ambushed by assailants who attempted to snatch her mobile phone. “There were signs of struggle — her hands had been squeezed, and she was hit on the head, which caused severe bleeding,” he added.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers made away with her phone after she fell unconscious. She was later found by a passer-by and rushed to a nearby clinic before being referred to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, where doctors confirmed her dead on arrival.
Her husband further revealed that the deceased’s death came barely three months after she lost her sister, whose three children she had adopted. She leaves behind six children — three biological and three adopted.
The Hospital Secretary, Abdulkadir Balele Wali, who confirmed the incident, described Hadiza as “a dedicated, selfless, and professional nurse whose commitment to duty inspired others.” He added that her demise was “a colossal loss not only to the hospital but to the entire health sector in Zaria.”
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to reach the Kaduna State Police Command spokesman, Mansur Hassan, for comment were unsuccessful.
