Policemen attached to the Inspector- General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris’ Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), have arrested suspected Boko Haram members, who abducted a 10-year-old boy in Maiduguri, Borno State and later stabbed him to death.

The victim, Baa Goni Maina, was abducted on January 14 by 18-year-old Adam Bakura and his brother, Modu Bakura.

He was killed three days later after his father couldn’t cough up the N10 million ransom the brothers demanded. It was learnt that although Maina’s father was comfortable, he was not rich enough to have N10 million. The suspect and deceased lived in the same community.

When Maina was abducted, nobody bargained that Adam and his brother were behind it. Police said that the boy was tricked away from his street, down to a river bank. Police said that after he was killed, the gang carried his body to a place called Gwange graveyard in Maiduguri town and dumped it there. It was said that investigation revealed that the brothers were Boko Haram members.

A police source said: “Adam has confessed to the killing of Maina. He said he killed the boy because the father couldn’t raise the N10 million ransom the gang demanded. The boy’s father begged them to collect N500,000.

Adam further confessed that he had to stab Maina several times in the stomach to ensure he dies because the boy knew him and would disclose his identity to police if released. He said that he and the boy lived in the same area.”

It was learnt that after Maina was kidnapped, all efforts to find him failed. When efforts to find the boy and tracked his kidnappers failed, Idris ordered operatives of IRT to move down to Borno State and launch a massive manhunt for the kidnappers and to rescue Maina.

It was also learnt that IRT operatives, with assistance from the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), in January, tracked and first arrested Modu. Modu was arrested at Customs area of Maiduguri. He fingered his brother, who had escaped to Monguno town. Monguno town is 200km from Maiduguri. Operatives of IRT and other policemen from Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Borno State Command immediately proceeded to Monguno. Adam was arrested.

credits : Juliana Francis