The Kano State Police Command says it has arrested one Auwalu Abdulrashid, 21, in connection with the alleged kidnap and murder of a 13-year-old girl simply named Zuwaira.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna-Kiyawa, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists, on Tuesday, in Kano.
Haruna-Kiyawa was quoted in the statement as saying that the police received a complaint on June 21, 2021 that a 13-year-old girl, Zuwaira, was kidnapped in Tofa Local Government Area of the state.
The statement read that the kidnapper demanded for N1 million ransom, and later settled for N400,000.
“While negotiating for the ransom, the body of the victim was discovered in an uncompleted building, slaughtered and buried,” it read.
It further stated that on receipt of the report, the police visited the scene where the corpse was exhumed and examined by a medical doctor.
“The corpse was later released to the deceased’s relatives for burial in accordance to Islamic rites,” it read, adding that the Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Shu’aibu-Dikko, instructed a team of Operation Puff Adder, led by SP Shehu Dahiru, to arrest the culprits.
“The Puff Adder team swung into action. Sustained efforts and prolonged follow-up led to the arrest of Auwalu Abdulrashid at Dan Marke village, Dambatta Local Government Area of the state on January 9, 2022; 202 days after the incident.
“On preliminary investigation, the suspect confessed that he singlehandedly kidnapped the victim and took her to an uncompleted building located at Tofa town, Kano State.
“The suspect told police that he strangled her by the neck after which, he used knife and slashed her throat, and later buried her. Abdulrashid then demanded ransom of N1 million, but later settled for N400,000,” he said.
The PPRO also said that the suspect further confessed that on June 7, 2021, he kidnapped a younger brother of the victim, Muttaka, 3, in Tofa Local Government Area.
“He demanded for ransom of N2 million, later settled and collected N100,000, and abandoned the child at Dawanau Special Primary School, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area,” he said.
The statement indicated that the suspect would soon be charged to court for prosecution.
(NAN).
