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The Yobe State Police Command has arrested a nine-year-old boy for allegedly setting fire to a family house, resulting in the deaths of his two stepmothers and two younger brothers.
The incident occurred at Rugan Badali in Karasuwa Local Government Area of the state.
According to the police, the boy allegedly committed the act after his father beat him over the theft of a fowl.
The minor reportedly confessed to setting the house ablaze while his two stepmothers and younger brothers were asleep, saying he acted out of anger and wanted to take revenge on his father.
“I carried one of our fowls to sell. The general public, looking at my age, reported me to my father, and I was beaten,” the boy said in his reported confession.
He said he subsequently bought a box of matches for ₦50 and set the house on fire the following day while the family members were asleep.
“Although when the house caught fire, I only shouted for help and people came for the rescue, I did not tell them that I was the one who did it,” he reportedly said.
The boy added that he later confessed to the act after three days of prayer, following which he was arrested by the police and taken to Damaturu.
Parading the suspect alongside his father, Abubakar Idi, the Police Public Relations Officer in Yobe, ASP Yusuf Adamu-Ali, confirmed that the suspect was a minor.
Adamu-Ali, however, said the boy would not simply be released, stressing that appropriate action would be taken despite his age.
The police spokesman said the case was particularly concerning given the circumstances surrounding the incident and the need to discourage unlawful acts among children.
He also expressed concern over the development, especially as Yobe State continues to recover from the effects of the Boko Haram insurgency.
The police said further investigations would be conducted to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the appropriate next steps.
