A 20-year-old Rabi’u Adamu, resident in Magama-Gumau of Toro local government area of Bauchi State, has allegedly abducted and murdered a 12-year-old Christopher Bala.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the victim, Christopher, was a son of ASP Bala Yarima serving in Gumau Police Division under Bauchi State Police Command.
The suspect had collected N200,000 as ransom but later decided to murder and bury the victim in a shallow grave for fear of being caught.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of Bauchi State Police Command, Ahmed Muhammed Wakil, said detectives attached to Toro Police Division tracked and arrested the suspect.
“Further inquiries uncovered disturbing details of extortion and a blood relationship between the suspect, the victim, and the victim’s family.
“Adamu eventually confessed to the kidnapping and the tragic murder of young Christopher.
“He admitted to having extorted a two hundred thousand Naira (NGN200,000) ransom from the victim’s father, ASP Yarima.
“He admitted that fearing that the murdered Christopher recognized him, he went ahead to strangle the 12-year-old victim and buried the body in a shallow grave at Bazale village hill,” the PPRO said.
He noted that having followed established procedures, the Police Command exhumed the victim’s remains, adding that a postmortem examination conducted at the General Hospital Toro confirmed the cause of death as strangulation.
Wakil added, “Subsequently, the case has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department for a comprehensive investigation, following a directive by the State Commissioner of Police.”