The Nigerian police have arrested two brothers for allegedly beheading a 10-year-old ‘Almajiri’ boy in Adamawa State.
In Nigeria, Almajiri refers to a child, usually a boy, who studies Islamic knowledge under a teacher (mallam) in a traditional Islamic school. The term comes from the Arabic word al-Muhajirun, meaning “migrant” or “seeker of knowledge.”
The Almajiri system is common in northern Nigeria, where children are often sent away from home to live with Islamic teachers.
In exchange for religious instruction, the children sometimes engage in street begging or perform menial tasks to support themselves and their teachers.
While the system was originally designed for religious and moral education, it has faced criticism over the years due to the exploitation, neglect, and harsh conditions that many Almajiri children endure.
The suspects, Ibrahim Abdulmalik, 27, and Aliyu Abdulmalik, 18, reportedly decapitated the victim, Abdalla Lawali, and buried the head in their family compound. They then stuffed the victim’s headless body into a sack and abandoned it at the crime scene.
According to a police report from the Adamawa State Command, the incident occurred on March 7, 2025, in Angwan Sarkin-Yamma, Jada Local Government Area.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Suleiman Nguroje, confirmed the arrests and stated that the suspects have confessed to the crime.
“The Adamawa State Police Command has recorded another significant breakthrough in its fight against violent crimes, as police operatives attached to Divisional Police Headquarters, Jada, have arrested two suspects for the brutal murder of a 10-year-old boy in Jada Local Government Area.
“On 16th March, 2025, following credible information, police operatives arrested one Ibrahim Abdul Malik (27 years old) and Aliyu Abdul Malik (18 years old) both residents of Anguwan Sarkin Yamma, Jada, who were alleged to have killed and beheaded a 10-year-old Almajiri, identified as Abdalla Lawali, of Anguwar Dubai, Jada.
“The victim was reported missing on 7th March 2025. Since then, search was ongoing to trace the missing child.
“Upon receiving information on the suspects’ involvement. The Commissioner of Police CP Dankombo Morris, deployed security to the scene, where the decomposed body of the deceased was recovered in a sack bag.
“The search warrant was further executed at the suspects’ residence where the head was buried in a shallow grave within the house premises.
“During investigation, the suspects confessed to committing the crime, regret action and blamed Devil,” Nguroje stated.
