ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
Four teenagers have been arrested by the Police for allegedly kidnapping a six year old boy and demanded N2.6 million ransom in Bauchi.
The teenagers were among 32 suspects paraded by the Commissioner of Police, Lawal Jimeta, for various crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, dealing in hard drugs, printing of fake Nigerian currency at the Police Headquarters on Thursday.
One of the four suspects, Muhammad Isa, 18, told journalists in an interview, confessing that he was pushed into the crime to raise capital to start a tailoring business.
Isa, who is a student of AD Rufai College of Education and Legal Studies, Misau, was arrested along with three of his friends was alleged to have kidnapped the six year old who is the son of their neighbour at Anguwan Borno also known as Jaja in the Bauchi metropolis.
He said he was lured into the crime by his friend, Abdulgafar Adamu, 18, saying he could not resist the idea because he needed the money badly.
“When Abdulgafar told me about the plan I accepted immediately. The boy was kidnapped, and offered to keep him in my house. I lied to my parents that the boy’s mother was seriously sick after an accident and was hospitalised.
“I learnt tailoring and even had a shop built due to the COVID 19 pandemic, things were tight and I was looking for money to start my business. I told my father but he said he had no money,” he said.
The 200 Level Civil Law said after a day his mother became suspicious and demanded to visit the abductor’s boy mother in hospital but Isa and his friends bought time as they contacted the hostage’s father.
Isa said Adulgafar, after hatching the plan, also involved Usman Muhammad, a 16 year old student of FOMWAN Secondary school, Bauchi.
“I invited the boy Abubakar Mohammed whom I know very well to accompany me to but doughnuts nearby and we took him to Usman’s house and hid him there,” the Senior Secondary 2 student said.
Abdulgafar, who masterminded said when he told his friends, including Ahmed Usman, school a 15 year old SS two student of Special School Toro, they all agreed
“Later I regretted my action and wanted to withdraw but I could not summon the courage to tell my parents or anyone,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police, Lawal Tanko Jimeta, explained that on 10th of August, at about 1.00pm, the kidnapping was reported to the Command’s Intelligence Bureau by one Alhaji Mohammed Dan’Azumi of Jaja Quatres in Bauchi Metropolis.
He said the suspects demanded N1 million as ransom, saying upon receiving the complaint, operatives attached to the bureau swung into action and rescue the victim unhurt and arrested the suspects.
Jimeta called on the people of the state to continue to exercise their civil responsibility of pointing and giving vital information that may ease police in its operation to ride the state the state of all forms of crime and criminality.
Jimeta said that the suspects would soon be arraigned in court.
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