A five-year-old child who was reportedly chained by his father in Bauchi state has been rescued by the Bauchi police officials. As stated on Friday by Auwal Muhammad, the Commissioner of Police for Bauchi State, the boy had been kept to a room without adequate nourishment for three days. He stated that the incidence was discovered on July 3, 2024, following a concerned citizen’s notification to the ward head.
“According to the report received by the ward head, a resident of the same area had spotted young Hussaini tied with a chain inside a room,” the CP said.
“Upon verifying the distressing information, the local authorities were alerted and promptly responded and a team of detectives led by CSP Mubarak S. Baba, the Divisional Police Officer of D’ Division (Dutsen Tanshi), swiftly arrived at the scene and rescued the child.”
According to the commissioner, the boy confessed during further interviews that his father, Abubakar Nuhu, also known as Wanzam, had subjected him to serious abuse.
He stated that the child confessed being confined and neglected, going days without proper care or food, and that the suspect was later arrested for child abuse.
“During interrogation, the accused claimed he had confined his son to prevent him from stealing from neighbours, purportedly advised by an acquaintance,” he told us.
The suspect narrated how he received complaints from neighbours about his son.
“I was always receiving complaints from neighbours that my son was stealing food from them. He breaks into their homes through the window and leaves with their food, he doesn’t steal anything else except food. I concluded that beating him would not solve the problem, so, a neighbour advised me to tie him with a chain whenever I am not at home,” the suspect said.
The CP thereafter ordered the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a thorough investigation.
He specifically tasked the Deputy Commissioner of Police to probe deeper into the motives behind such appalling mistreatment.
