Man kidnaps, kill his neighbour’s 8-year-old niece after collecting N500,000 ransom in Kano

The Kano State Police Command has arrested a suspected kidnapper, who allegedly killed an 8-year-old girl after collecting N500,000 ransom from her family.

Spokesperson of the command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, who confirmed the arrest on Tuesday, November 17, said the 24-year old suspect, Habibu Sale kidnapped Asiya Tasiu in Chikawa village, Gabasawa Local Government Area of the state on June 6, 2020, when she was sent on an errand in her Aunty’s place who happened to be his neighbour.

It was gathered that after the suspect kidnapped the girl, he demanded the sum of N10 million as ransom from her family but it was later reduced to N500,000 after negotiation.

According to DSP Haruna, the police succeeded in arresting Sale on November 7, after trailing him from Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Abuja, Abia and Kano where he was eventually arrested in front of his house.

Police investigations revealed that Habibu killed the girl after collecting the ransom and buried her in a shallow grave at the outskirts of Chikawa village to cover his crime because the victim who lived in the same vicinity with him, could recognize and possibly expose him.

“The culprit kidnapped the little girl, Asiya Tasiu and demanded for the ransom of N10 million which was negotiated down to N500,000. They paid him the ransom but despite that he refused to release her and at the end he killed her and buried her in a shallow grave he dug,” said Haruna.o

“Since the matter was reported to us about 154 days ago, we have been trailing him. We trailed him to Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Abuja and even to the southern state of Abia State. But at the end we succeeded in arresting him. We arrested him Nov. 7. The CP has ordered that the body of the little girl be exhumed from the grave and handed over to the parents for burial rites,” he added.

Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to have carried out the dastardly act alone and has squandered the N500,000 on harlots, drugs and gambling in Kaduna where he fled to.

Speaking to journalists at the Police headquarters, the girl’s father, Tasiu Mohammed Adamu, said the kidnappers of his late daughter demanded for N10 million ransom but they later settled for N500,000 after series of negotiation.

“The only thing I can not explain is why they killed my daughter after paying the ransom to them. This is very wicked of them. I need justice and I believe police will ensure that justice is done for the sake of my daughter,” he said.