Yobe Police Arrest Nine-Year-Old Over Alleged Arson That Killed Two Stepmothers and Two Brothers

Police authorities in Yobe State have taken a nine-year-old boy into custody over allegations that he set a house on fire, causing the deaths of his two stepmothers and two younger brothers in Rugan Badali, Karasuwa Local Government Area. Channels TV reported that the suspect said he burned the home after his father accused him of stealing a fowl and beat him. According to his account, he took one of the family's fowls to sell. Because of his age, members of the public reported him to his father, and he was flogged. The following day, he said, he bought matches worth N50 in the neighbourhood while his two stepmothers and two younger brothers were asleep, and then set the house on fire as retaliation for what his father had done to him. He added that when the house caught fire, he only called for help and people came to rescue them. He did not tell them that he was responsible until after three days of prayer, when he confessed. He said police officers later arrested him and brought him to Damaturu. The suspect was paraded alongside his father, Abubakar Idi. ASP Yusuf Adamu-Ali, the Police Relations Officer in the state, said the suspect is a minor but would not be allowed to go free, so that his case would serve as a deterrent to other children involved in such unlawful conduct. He also expressed concern about the incident, especially as the state is recovering from the Boko Haram insurgency.