In a swift breakthrough, police personnel at the Bauchi Command have apprehended four suspects linked to the alleged kidnapping and murder of 6-year-old Shuaibu Safiyanu in Sade village, Darazo local government area of Bauchi state.
Spokesperson of Bauchi Police Command, CSP Ahmed Wakil confirmed this to reporters on Saturday.
He said about two days ago, Safiyanu Abdullahi, father of the victim, reported his son’s disappearance to the village head of Sade, Musa Isah. “That same day, Abdullahi received a chilling ransom demand of N3,000,000, which was later negotiated down to N200,000.”
He added, “Police detectives, acting on intelligence, traced the ransom negotiations to a POS site in the area. On March 21, at about 10:00 AM, officers arrested Rabi’u Muhammadu, 23, of Leka village. Muhammadu’s possession of the phone number and Union Bank account linked to the demands led to the unmasking of a larger conspiracy.”
Wakil said when pressed with interrogation, Muhammadu implicated Samson Ozoichikel, 35, identified as the mastermind, alongside Muhammad Sani, 25, and Musa Usman, 30, both from Leka village. All four suspects are now in custody.
He added that tragically, the case took a grim turn when the lifeless body of young Shuaibu was found in a nearby bush with a rope tied around his neck.
“His remains were taken to the General Hospital, where a medical doctor confirmed his death before releasing the body to his family for burial according to Islamic rites,” Wakil said.
