Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
THE Nigeria Police Force, Yobe State Command, has arrested a nine-year-old boy for allegedly setting a house ablaze, killing his two stepmothers and two younger brothers at Rugan Badali in Karasuwa Local Government Area of the state.
The suspect had reportedly been accused of stealing a fowl and was subsequently beaten by his father.
In an interview with Channels Television, the minor confessed to the act, saying he was angry with his father for beating him and that was why he burnt the house as an act of revenge.
“I carried one of our fowls to sell; the general public, looking at my age, reported me to my father, and I was beaten. The following day, I bought ₦50 worth of matches at the neighbourhood while my two stepmothers and two younger brothers were asleep; I set our house on fire as revenge for what my father did to me,” the minor said.
“Although when the house caught fire, I only shouted for help and people came for the rescue, I did not tell them that I was the one who did it until after three days of prayer; I now confessed and was later arrested by policemen and brought here to Damaturu,” he added.
While parading the suspect alongside his father, Abubakar Idi, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Yusuf Adamu-Ali, said the suspect was a minor but would not go free, so as to serve as a deterrent to other children who engage in such unlawful acts.
He further expressed worry over such incidents, especially at a time when the state is recovering from the challenge of the Boko Haram insurgency.
