The police command in Niger State has arrested a woman for allegedly poisoning her co-wife’s children in Takuti village, Lapai Local Government Area.

In a statement on Saturday, the command’s spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, said a resident, Mariya Abdullahi, reported on Friday that the suspect administered some substance to her co-wife’s children.

“The police operatives moved to the scene, discovered the two children, who were nine and four years old, were given the substance to drink, and as a result, they became unconscious,” he said. 

He said the children were immediately rushed to a nearby clinic, where one was pronounced dead on arrival, while the other was referred to a general hospital for further treatment.

“The suspect was arrested and is undergoing further interrogation,” Mr Abiodun noted. 

The police said the suspect claimed that she was influenced by a friend to commit the act because she couldn’t bear a child for her husband.

He added that the suspect would soon be transferred to SCID Minna for diligent prosecution.