Teenager kidnaps 7-year-old boy, demands N3.5m ransom
Police in Gombe State said it arrested a 19-year-old man in Gabukka area of Gombe metropolis over the kidnap of a 7-yearold boy.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, the command’s spokesperson, SP
Obed Mary Malum, said the suspect, Mohammed Sani Ahmad, was arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on September 23, three days after parents of the boy declared him missing.
She said the suspect picked the victim on Friday, September 20, from a mosque in Kumbiya-Kumbiya area of the metropolis while the boy was performing ablution.
He later called his victim’s father, one Malam Abubakar and demanded N3.5 million as ransom, it was gathered.
“When he realised that the ransom was not forthcoming, he called the victim’s uncle, one Aminu Babayo and informed him that he found the boy that was kidnapped at Gabukka area. The uncle asked him to bring the boy so that he could be appreciated by the family.
“However, the father of the victim observed that it was the same mobile phone number that was used to demand ransom. As such, SARS operatives were notified and they apprehended the suspect when he arrived with the boy,” Malum said.
Speaking with newsmen, the suspect said he kidnapped the boy to raise money to take care of his siblings, who he said sometimes go without food for two days. According to him, he could not further his education beyond secondary school and he doesn’t have a skill or capital to start a trade.
The PPRO said investigation is still ongoing and the suspect would be charged to court once it is completed.