Tobias Sylvester
Kano State Police Command has arrested a 21-year-old man, Auwalu Abdulrashid, alias Lauje, for allegedly kidnapping and slaughtering a 13-year-old girl, simply identified as Zuwaira before demanding N1m ransom from her parents.
The Command spokesman, Abdullahi Kiyawa, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, said the suspect kidnapped the girl and took her to an uncompleted building where he strangled her, cut her throat and buried her remains in a shallow grave.
After committing the heinous acts, Lauje was said to have demanded a ransom of N1 million from her parents before the police received a complaint on June 21, 2021, that Zuwaira was kidnapped in Tofa local government area of the state.
The statement added, “On the 21/06/2021 at about 1000hrs, a report was received from a resident of Tofa Town, Tofa LGA, Kano State that his daughter, Zuwaira, ‘f’, 13 years old, was kidnapped and a ransom of One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00) was demanded and later settled at Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N400,000.00).
“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, scene visited, the body was exhumed, examined and confirmed dead by a Medical Doctor and released to the relatives for burial according to Islamic rites.”
Kiyawa explained that Kano Commissioner of Police, CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu-Dikko, immediately 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 on Jan. 9, 2022, which is, 202 days after the incident.
“On preliminary investigation, the suspect confessed that, he single-handedly kidnapped the victim and took her to an uncompleted building located at Tofa town, Kano State.
“The suspect told police that he strangled her neck after which, he used knife and slashed slaughter 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.
“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.
Kiyawa revealed that the suspect would be charged to court for prosecution.
KanyiDaily had reported how a teenage girl, Ujunwa Offiah, was arrested for allegedly conspiring with her boyfriend, Blessed Ifesinachi, to fake her own kidnap and demand N30 million ransom from her family in Lagos State.
