Operatives of the Bauchi Police Command have rescued a 5-year-old boy who had been chained and starved for three days by his father.
The rescue followed a tip-off from concerned neighbors in the Gwallagan Mayaka area of Bauchi metropolis.
The police became aware of the child abuse on July 3, 2024, when the ward head of the Gwallagan Mayaka area reported that a resident, informed by his wife Amina (not her real name), had discovered their neighbor’s 5-year-old son chained in a room.
Amina checked on the boy and found him unconscious and chained.
Police spokesman SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil stated that after receiving the information, a team led by CSP Mubarak S. Baba, DPO D’ Division, Dutsen Tanshi, went to the scene and rescued the boy.
The victim, identified as Hussaini Abubakar, revealed that his biological father, Abubakar Nuhu, 50, known as Wanzam, had maltreated and starved him for three days.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Muhammad, immediately ordered the arrest of the offender for investigation and prosecution.
Wakil said the suspect, Abubakar Nuhu, claimed he confined his son to prevent him from stealing neighbors’ valuables, following a friend’s advice.
The Commissioner directed the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for a thorough investigation into the incident and any underlying motives.