Operatives of the Bauchi State Hisbah Board has apprehended a woman known locally as “Baba Mai Ɗan Wake” on charges of sexually abusing a 14‑year‑old Qur’anic pupil in Azare, Katagum LGA.
Malam Ridwan Muhammad Khairan, head of Hisbah in the Katagum division, told reporters that the suspect is accused of luring the boy who had been doing menial washing work for her at the Sabuwar Tasha Jama’are market, into her home under the guise of offering food. There, she allegedly drugged him with a traditional “male potency” tonic mixed into a bottled lemon drink and coerced him into repeated sexual acts.
“She forced and deceived a young almajiri of about 14 years by slipping a potency drug into his lemon soda so that he would comply with her demands,” Malam Khairan explained.
According to the Hisbah boss, the boy eventually fled after suffering persistent back pain and sought help from the district head, who alerted security agencies. A joint operation involving the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) led to her arrest. She was first taken for preliminary questioning and thereafter transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Bauchi for formal charges and prosecution.
A community source added that the woman’s snack stall had become notorious as a gathering point for criminals, drug users and sex workers; those arrested during raids often claimed they had been at her place.
The victim corroborated the allegations in a statement to investigators:
“At first, she told me to come and eat after selling her snacks. Once inside, she gave me food and that lemon drink laced with the drug. Then she ordered me to touch her, led me into her room and began assaulting me.”
The abuse continued intermittently both before and after the Ramadan fast until the boy, distressed by ongoing back pain, escaped and reported the ordeal.
Local civil society groups including the Katagum Association of Quranic Teachers, the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), and a youth human‑rights organization have united to demand that she be sternly punished and permanently barred from Azare.
Alaramma Husaini Gwani Gambo, chairman of the Quranic‑teachers’ association, vowed to pursue the matter through every legal channel:
“We will do whatever it takes to secure justice for our Almajiri and ensure this terrible violation serves as a lesson to others.” (News Central)
