Herder beheads friend over missing cow

A 23-year-old herder Umar Muhammad is currently being held by the police in Kebbi State for allegedly beheading his bosom friend, Mustapha Muhammed ,22, over argument they had on a missing cow.

It was gathered that the suspect beheaded his friend while he was taking a nap under the shed of a tree in the area where they took the cattle for grazing in Kalgo area of the state.

A relative of the deceased who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said Mustapha and Umar had been friends for over six years. He said, “Mustapha was the one who invited the suspect to help in the rearing of the cows that was given to him to rear so that he could concentrate on the sheep.

He added that trouble ensued between the friends when the deceased noticed that one of the cows in the flock was missing and he confronted Umar to know its whereabouts. However when he could not offer meaningful explanation on the missing cow, the late Mustapha threatened to inform the cow owner.

It was gathered that this did not go down well with the suspect and on Friday of last week he trailed his friend to an uncompleted building along Kalgo where they usually rest during the day and attacked him with an axe.

The deceased relative said, “He used the axe he normally carry about to cut off his head while he was resting beside a tree. He returned home without his friend and he took his bath. But when they asked him about Mustapha he told them that he left him in the bush.”

He added that they started searching for the deceased and only discovered his decomposed body where he dragged it to two days after he was killed.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Kebbi State command, DSP Suleiman Mustapha, said yesterday the suspect was already in police custody.