The city of Gombe has been plunged into mourning following a brutal and tragic incident that claimed the life of a young, newly married man. A dismissed shop assistant, aged 16, allegedly stabbed his former employer, Abdul'azeez Aliyu, popularly known as Danmalam, to death.
A Promising Life Cut Short
The fatal attack occurred on Saturday, January 17, 2026, in the Federal Low Cost area of Gombe. Shockingly, the incident unfolded in the presence of the victim's own mother. Abdul'azeez Aliyu had tied the knot with his wife, Jamila, on December 26, 2025, making his death barely three weeks into his marriage.
Family friend Rabi'u Baushe (the Baushen Gombe) painted a picture of a promising young man. He revealed that Abdul'azeez had recently completed his university education and secured a government job in Abuja. He had just returned from completing documentation in the capital but did not live to resume his new position.
"She was in deep pain when I met her," said Malam Ibrahim Garba Hassan Pantami, the bride's father and community head of Kumbiya-Kumbiya, describing his 27-year-old widowed daughter as devastated. He noted that Jamila had personally chosen Abdul'azeez as her husband.
The Fatal Confrontation
According to accounts given to the police and shared by associates, the tragedy stemmed from a business dispute. Abdul'azeez ran a café business where he employed several local youths. Due to issues with indiscipline, he had dismissed a number of them.
On that fateful day, Abdul'azeez was accompanying his mother on an errand in the neighborhood. He stopped at his shop to drop off some documents. One of the dismissed workers reportedly returned to the shop and was asked to leave.
Baushe narrated the chilling sequence: "The boy ran into a nearby tailor’s shop, picked up a pair of scissors, and returned. As Abdul'azeez was about to step out, he was stabbed in the chest in front of his mother." The victim was rushed to the Specialist Hospital, where doctors confirmed him dead.
Community Grief and Police Action
The Gombe State Police Command has confirmed the incident. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Buhari Abdullahi, stated that the 16-year-old suspect is in custody. "The suspect claimed he was demanding money owed to him by the victim. An argument broke out and he stabbed Abdul'azeez in anger," the PPRO explained, adding that an investigation is ongoing.
The community has been left reeling. Residents described Abdul'azeez as a calm, respectful, and religious individual, raised under the strict moral guidance of his father, a respected Islamic scholar in the area. His mother remains in a state of shock and is unable to speak about the tragedy.
Abdul'azeez Aliyu was laid to rest on Sunday at the Bolari Juma'at Mosque cemetery, surrounded by prayers from heartbroken family members, friends, and sympathizers. The incident has cast a pall over the Federal Low Cost community, raising concerns about youth employment and violence.
