The operatives of the Bauchi State Police Command have arrested a 12-year-old boy, Dayyabu Abdullahi, for allegedly kidnapping a three-year-old girl, Mariya Yahaya, in the state.

Abdullahi, who is an indigene of Kano State but residing in Magama-Gumau village in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, was arrested on Wednesday.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Ahmed Wakil, in a statement issued on Saturday said investigation revealed that the suspect lured the victim to an isolated place near a football field at Kara Area of Magama-Gumau and called the victim’s father on phone and demanded N150,000 ransom for her release.

“On hearing this, the victim’s father hung off the call, while the suspect kept calling but no response from the victim’s father but after a while, the victim’s father called the suspect on phone and identified the suspect as Dayyabu through his voice, as the suspect is known by the victim’s father.

“The suspect then kept mute and quickly hung off the call when he realised that the victim’s father had uncovered his identity.

READ ALSO: Man rapes 5-year-old boy to death in Ogun

“Consequently, he swiftly took the girl back to their house and told her family that he sighted her crying near a football field. In this manner, the victim’s family immediately reported the suspect to the police authority for necessary action.

“On interrogation, the suspect stated that he is from Kano state and came to Bauchi state in search of petty business with his siblings while from the little he earned while hawking a fried yam in Magama Gumau, he raised money and bought a mobile phone Techno Camon model,” Wakil stated.

The police spokesperson noted that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and said he would have used the ransom money to buy clothes and phones.

“Investigation also showed that the suspect got to know about kidnapping for ransom when some time ago, his friend was kidnapped in Kano State.

“Those who kidnapped his friend were paid ransom before he was released and that was how the suspect learned that money must be paid to set a kidnap victim free,” he added.

Speaking on the incident, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan, assured the general public that they will be updated as the investigation unfolds.

Alhassan urged parents and guardians to maintain strict vigilance over the activities of their wards, saying: “It is pertinent now more than ever that the whereabouts of wards and the company they keep are constantly kept in check by all those responsible.”

He, however, said the suspect would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigation.

The Star