Less than two weeks after the abduction and gruesome killing of Hanifa Abubakar by her school proprietor, another five-year-old pupil has been rescued from a suspected kidnapper in Kano State on Tuesday.
Daily Trust reported that the yet-to-be-identified middle-aged woman almost abducted the Nursery 2 pupil of Ulumuddin Primary School, Koki, identified as Bashir Jamilu, but for the intervention of observing neighbours.
According to the victim’s mother, Aisha Salisu Koki, the woman attempted to lure the boy with promises that she would buy him meat, noodles and milk.
While narrating the ordeal, the suspects plan failed when the boy started crying, attracting onlookers, including some members of the Koki Vigilante group who later intervened and arrested the woman.
The mother said, “Along ‘lungun barebari’, he fell on the ground and she dragged him. Just beside the school, he asked to be left to go in but she refused, saying that she will bring him back. That was when people began to understand what was happening.
“When she was queried, she said he’s her son and people started beating her because they knew the child wasn’t hers.
“The moment I arrived at the place, I met her dragging the child with other people saying he’s her child. They then showed her to me as his mother.
“Upon seeing me, she (the suspect) started hitting me asking me if I was the one who gave birth to him. My son was still crying while repeatedly calling me ‘Umma ta’ (my mummy).
“That’s when I took him into the school and some policemen took her from the Vigilante people to Jakara police station”, the mother narrated.
She revealed that the suspect was sent to the state’s CID from where they were further directed to the state’s anti-kidnapping unit.
“I really commend the effort of the Vigilante people here because they were the ones who saw her with the child and swiftly unmask the demon in her,” she added.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, did not give details regarding the incident when contacted.
Kano State was recently in the news over a similar kidnapping incident that led to the death of five-year-old Hanifa Abubakar.
WuzupNigeria reported that Hanifa’s school proprietor, Abdulmalik Tanko, who is currently in police custody, confessed to the abduction and killing of the toddler.
Tanko is currently facing four counts of concealing a kidnapped victim, conspiracy, kidnapping and culpable homicide.
Meanwhile, this publication also reported that Tanko’s wife, Jamila Abdulmalik Muhammad Sani, was arraigned before a Kano State Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Gidan Murtala, on one count of alleged concealing of a kidnap victim.
