Man kidnaps, murders 7-year-old nephew after demanding N5m ransom

By PETER UWUMAROGIE

The Police have arrested one Mubarak Haladu for allegedly kidnapping and killing his seven-year-old nephew in Dadin Kowa community, Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area, Gombe State.

ASP Buhari Abdullahi, the state Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed this in a statement on Friday.

Abdullahi said that the case of kidnap was reported to the Dadin Kowa Police station on Oct. 10 by one Bello Haladu of Garin Sarki village in Dadin Kowa, who alleged that his younger brother had abducted his son.

Abdullahi said that the suspect had, on Oct. 9, called his elder brother and told him that he had abducted his son and that he should pay a ransom of N1.5 million to secure his release.

?The case was forwarded to the anti-kidnapping section of SCID for discrete investigation,? he said.

The command?s spokesperson said that on Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. the suspect was arrested, and upon interrogation, he admitted to having committed the offence.

Abdullahi said the suspect also confessed to breaking into three shops in different areas and stealing about 30 mobile phones of different brands.

He said that the suspect then used a SIM card of one of the stolen phones to call his brother, the victim?s father, and demanded for ransom.

Abdullahi said that on Oct. 18, the victim was found dead and decaying in an uncompleted building in Dadin Kowa village.

He said that the suspect would soon be charged to court for prosecution.

Also, Abdullahi said another suspect was in police custody for stabbing his 65-year-old aunt to death in Bagadaza Quarters of Gombe State.

?We received a report that one Jonathan James fatally stabbed his aunty, one Ramatu Musa, of the same address with a sharp knife.

?On receiving the information, a patrol team from Pantami division rushed to the scene and evacuated the victim to specialist hospital Gombe for medical attention.

?There, she was examined and certified dead on arrival by a medical doctor.

?The scene of the crime was visited and the suspect was arrested.

?A knife was recovered as an exhibit, while the suspect will soon be charged to court for prosecution,? he said. (NAN)