The operatives of the Bauchi State Police Command have arrested a 12-year-old boy for allegedly kidnapping a three-year-old girl.

The father of the girl reported to the police that he got an anonymous call informing him that his daughter had been kidnapped.

The anonymous caller demanded N150,000 from the girl’s father as ransom before his daughter would be released.

The Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Police Command, Ahmed Wakil, stated these in a media statement made available to journalists in the state on Saturday.

The statement titled, ‘The arrest of a minor for Kidnapping’ read, “the suspect lured the girl to an isolated area near a football field in the Kara Area of Magama Gumau and called the victim’s father on phone and made the aforementioned demand.”

Wakil, a Superintendent of Police said, “Bauchi State Police Command has arrested Dayyabu Abdullahi ‘m’ aged 12 years of Magama Gumau for Kidnapping a 3-year old girl.

“The information available at the Command’s disposal is that on November 23, 2022, at about 5:40 pm, Yahaya Sale ‘m’ aged 56 years of Magama Gumau, while at his shop located at the same address, received a threatening phone call from an anonymous person.

“The caller demanded the sum of N150,000 as a ransom for the release of his kidnapped daughter, one Mariya Yahaya ‘f’ aged three years of same address.

“A discreet Investigation revealed that the suspect lured the victim to an isolated place near a football field at kara Area of Magama Gumau and called the victim’s father on phone and made the aforementioned demand.

“On hearing this, the victim’s father hung up the call, while the suspect kept calling but no response from the victim’s father.

“After a while, the victim’s father called the suspect on the phone and identified the suspect as Dayyabu through his voice, as the suspect is known by the victim’s father.

“The suspect then kept mute and quickly hung up the call when he realized that the victim’s father uncovered his identity.”

The Police Spokesman said that the suspect swiftly took the girl back to their house and told her family that he sighted her crying near a football field.

“The victim’s family immediately reported the suspect to the Police authority for necessary action.

“Upon interrogation, the suspect stated that he is from Kano state and came to Bauchi state in search of petty business with his siblings. From the little he earned while hawking fried yam in Magama Gumau, he raised money and bought a mobile phone, the Tecno Camon model.

“The investigation also revealed that the suspect got to know about kidnapping when some time ago his friend was kidnapped in Kano state until a ransom was paid before he was released from his captors, that is how he learned about kidnapping and money must be paid to set a victim free.

“He also said he would have used the ransom money to buy his desired clothes and phones, but cut short upon his arrest by the Police operatives,” he said.

Wakil said that the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan, assured the general public that they will continue to be updated as the investigation unfolds, just as he reiterated the need for parents and guardians to maintain strict vigilance over the activities of their wards.

“It is pertinent now more than ever that the whereabouts of wards and the company they keep should be constantly kept in check by all responsible, as the investigation continues into the matter after which the suspect will be charged to court,” he assured.