Niger Police Command says it has arrested two residents of Izom community in Gurara local council of Niger State, for allegedly killing Ubaida Surajo, a 14-year-old secondary school student.
The suspects, Nuhu Mohammed, 26, and Sani Usman, 22, were paraded by the police authority.
In a statement on Friday, Wasiu Abiodun, spokesman for the command, said the victim was killed in her parents’ residence in Izom, Gurara area on June 5, when the victim’s mother was away at the market.
Abiodun said, “One of the suspects, Nuhu, who was a tenant in the same house confessed during the police interrogation that in the early hours of the same day, the deceased mother accused him of stealing her N90,000 saying that the accusation got him angry, and he decided to kill the girl”.
He said that the suspect explained that he invited his friend, Sani, to the house to assist him and they both attacked the girl when she returned from school by strangling her to death.
“The suspects reportedly left the scene and locked the house gate from outside only for the mother to come back from the market and found the victim lifeless.
“Six knives, two cutlasses, a digger and a suspected blood-stained shirt belonging to Nuhu were discovered when police searched his room,” he said.
In another development, the police command said it arrested one Mohammed Bande, also known as Kachalla of Saminaka village in Lapai local council of state.
The suspect was arrested while “procuring” arms and ammunition in Lambata, Gurara LGA.
Abiodun said the suspect was nabbed based on intelligence received about his activities.
“The sum of N1.7 million was recovered from the suspect during his arrest, adding that during interrogation, the suspect confessed that the money was given to him by one Gora of the same village, presently at large, to meet a yet-to-be-identified arms dealer at Lambata to procure AK-47 ammunition.
“He further said that the purpose of the intended procurement was to boost their arms capacity for continued kidnapping and cattle rustling activities around Saminaka, Lapai, Lambata and its environs. He also said that he was promised N250,000 for the transaction,” Abiodun states, adding the command is making efforts to apprehend the other suspect – Gora – who is on the run.
