Police arrest 17-year-old student for kidnapping and killing a five-year-old in Plateau State

The suspect blamed the country’s hardship for his behaviour.

A 17-year-old student in Plateau State identified as Elijah Anthony, has been arrested by the State Police Command for allegedly killing his neighbour’s five-year-old child, which he kidnapped and collected a ransom of N400,000.

Anthony, who is a Senior Secondary School Student of Manret High School in Angul D community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, was paraded by the police alongside 39 other suspects for various offences.

According to reports, Anthony confessed to killing the five-year-old boy, identified as Dawom Pam after collecting the ransom.

He said, “They sent his (victim’s) elder brother to buy something and the little boy was behind him. So, I and my friend carried the boy and hid him somewhere in an uncompleted building

“Later, the parents of the boy came looking for him and I also pretended and joined them in the search for their missing child but I did not take them to where the boy was hidden.

“Later we demanded N5 million, but we were able to get N400,000. But five days later, the boy was killed. I was the one that killed him because I fear he might tell his parents that I was the one that kidnapped him if we had released him”.

Anthony, who was regretted his actions, blamed the hardship going on in the country for his actions.

“I was in my house when the police came and arrested me. It is the hardship that drove me into kidnapping and killing. I was supposed to write WAEC this year but I didn’t. Please, forgive me,” Anthony said.

The State Commissioner of Police, Okoro Julius Alawari, disclosed et the corpse of the child was recovered from a swampy place near the uncompleted building where he was dumped and handed over his parents.

He also said that the Anthony and the other 39 suspects would be prosecuted when investigations were concluded.