An Upper Shari’a Court in Funtua town of Katsina State was set ablaze on Thursday by an estranged husband, Ahmed Ubale Mai-Nama, over an alleged dissolution of his marriage.
Witnesses said Mr Ahmed set the court on fire in the early hours of Thursday and stood watching as it consumed the entire building. Hundreds of case files, some over 40 years, were also lost to the fire
About two weeks ago, Mr Ahmed was said to have filed a case before the court seeking it to safeguard his marriage.
A senior court official, who pleaded anonymity, said “when the man realized that he would not win the case, he demanded all he spent during the wedding from his wife’s family and the court granted his prayers; so he was paid all the expenses incurred”.
“Unfortunately for Mr Ahmed, the judgment favoured his wife as the marriage was dissolved by the court,” according to a source in the court.
In the early hours of Thursday however, the complainant went to the court and set the building on fire resulting to the destruction of the judge’s office, the chamber and the registrar’s office.
Deputy Public Relations Officer of Katsina State Police Command, ASP Shehu Koko Muhammad, confirmed the incident.
A local newspaper reports that the man has been arrested and handed over to the Funtua police area command by the court’s local guards and some passers-by.
