By Our Reporter | KatsinaTimes
A grieving father in Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina State, Malam Gambo Aliyu Wurma, has called on authorities and human rights organisations to ensure justice over the death of his son, Abdulhakim Gambo, whom he alleged died after being tortured by operatives of the Katsina Community Watch Corps (CWC), also known as C-watch.
The bereaved father made the appeal while speaking to Katsina Times, days after the deceased’s third-day funeral prayers.
According to him, the incident occurred on May 23, 2026, after Abdulhakim was accused of stealing a mobile phone from a room where several youths, including the deceased, had spent the night in Wurma community.
Malam Gambo Wurma
Malam Gambo said he and his son had recently returned from Abuja for the Eid-el-Kabir holiday and to engage in farming activities.
“We usually went to the farm together every day to clear and prepare farmland,” he said.
He explained that about 12 young men had slept in a room near their residence on the night of the incident before one of them later reported that his phone was missing.
The owner of the phone, identified as Aminu Abdurrahman, reportedly lodged a complaint with operatives of the Katsina Community Watch Corps (CWC), leading to the arrest of all the youths who spent the night in the room.
According to the father, the suspects were detained from daytime and later interrogated over the missing phone in the evening.
He alleged that his son became the prime suspect because he and another youth were considered “newcomers” who had recently returned to the village from outside the community.
Malam Gambo further claimed that the complainant’s suspicion intensified after Abdulhakim reportedly protested threats of assault and insisted he should not be forced to confess to an offence he knew nothing about.
He said despite repeatedly denying involvement in the alleged theft, the operatives allegedly subjected Abdulhakim to severe beating in an attempt to extract a confession.
“One of the operatives, identified as Umar, brought a stick and started beating him. My son kept pleading that he did not steal the phone. He even said they could collect the value of the phone from his father if that would stop the torture,” he alleged.
The father further claimed that when the beating became unbearable, Abdulhakim attempted to escape but was chased and apprehended near a pond.
“They continued beating him there. Another operative called Iliya allegedly restrained and humiliated him while they kept assaulting him,” he said.
He added that the deceased later became weak and repeatedly begged for water, but some operatives allegedly prevented others from giving him water until their commander, identified as Usman Lingui, reportedly ordered that he be given some.
According to Malam Gambo, the operatives eventually abandoned the victim after his condition deteriorated.
“I was informed about the situation even though I was unwell myself. We rushed him to the emergency hospital in Kurfi, but the doctor told us there was little hope. He was later referred to the General Hospital where tests and scans were conducted before his body was released to us. We buried him the following day,” he said.
He disclosed that the police had since transferred the matter to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Katsina for further investigation.
The distraught father appealed to the government and security agencies to ensure justice, saying Abdulhakim was his only surviving child.
“Allah tested me. I lost all my other children at young ages. Abdulhakim was the only one left to support me in life. We struggled together for our daily survival, but now he is gone,” he said amid tears.
He maintained that he did not believe his son could engage in theft, insisting that he raised him with proper upbringing and discipline.
