A 21-year-old man identified as Auwal Abdulrasheed has been arrested after he allegedly kidnapped and murdered a 13-year-old hawker known as Zuwaira in Tofa Town, Kano State.
The suspect was arrested by the police on January 9, 2022 after he allegedly took the victim’s life following the inability of members of her family to pay the N1 million ransom that he demanded.
DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyaw, the Kano State Police Command spokesman stated that Abdulrasheed buried the victim’s corpse in a shallow grave at an completed building in Tofa Town where she was murdered.
A statement released by the command spokesman, stated:
“He reported that his daughter was kidnapped and a ransom of N1 million was demanded and later settled at N400k.
“While negotiating for the ransom, the body of the victim was discovered in an uncompleted building, slaughtered and buried in a shallow grave.
“On receipt of the ugly report, the scene was visited, the body was exhumed, examined and confirmed dead by a Medical Doctor and released to the relatives for burial according to Islamic rites.
“The Puff Adder team swung into action. Sustained efforts and prolonged follow-up led to the arrest of the suspect at Dan marke village, on 09/01/2022, i.e. 202 days after the incident.
“On preliminary investigation, the suspect confessed that, he single handedly kidnapped the victim, deceived and took her to an uncompleted building located at Tofa Town, Tofa LGA, Kano State, where he strangled her with her Hijab, used knife to slaughtered her throat and buried her in a shallow grave, and then demanded a ransom of N1million and later settled at N400k.
“The suspect further confessed that, on the 07/06/2021, he kidnapped a younger brother of the victim, one Muttaka, 3, at Tofa Town, demanded a ransom of N2 Million, later settled and collected N100k and abandoned the child at Dawanau Special Primary School.”
