A 22-year-old man has been arrested by security agents for allegedly kidnapping and killing a five-year-old boy in Plateau State.
The suspect was arrested through the combined effort of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Wase Local Government Area of the state.
Daily Trust gathered that luck ran out for the suspect after the boy’s father failed to deliver a N20 million ransom for his release and instead contacted security agents to help secure his son’s release.
The suspect, identified only as Muazu, is said to be a family friend of the victim and often coached young boys in football around Wase town.
A councillor in Wase, Shafi’i Sambo, told Daily Trust that the boy, popularly called Baba is son to one Alhaji Ibrahim, a business man and went missing on Thursday evening.
Sambo said when the family alerted the police, there was suspicion as to the involvement of Muazu who neighbours said had tried to get Alhaji Ibrahim’s phone numbers a day before the boy’s disappearance and had been seen with another of the business man’s young sons on Wednesday.
Operation Safe Haven Media and Information Officer, Captain Adam Umar, told Daily Trust on phone that when the police arrested Muazu for questioning, some people believed to be relatives had tried to harass security agents before the task force got involved.
Captain Adam said the suspect had confessed to the crime on Friday and had taken security agents to the uncompleted building where the boy’s corpse was found.
“The boy was already dead with his legs tied. Some youths tried to lynch the suspect but the police had to move him to an undisclosed location,” he said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Tyopev Terna, yesterday said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.
