Civil servant arrested over attempt to sell daughter for N1.5m as police nab ‘killer’ of 6 corpers

A 49-year-old man has been apprehended by the Bauchi State Police for allegedly attempting to sell his five-year-old daughter for N1.5 million.

The Commissioner of Police, Auwal Muhammad, announced the arrest at a press conference on Thursday, detailing the circumstances surrounding the case.

The suspect, a self-proclaimed civil servant with the Warji Local Government Council, was detained on charges of child trafficking.

According to the Commissioner, the suspect took his daughter from her mother, who is estranged from him, under the guise of visiting his sister in Bauchi.

On May 26, the father negotiated to sell his daughter, unaware that the prospective buyer was an undercover police officer.

“The suspect was arrested at a hotel in Bauchi after finalizing the transaction for N1.5 million,” Muhammad stated. He added that the father had also given N40,000 to an intermediary who connected him with the supposed buyer.

The Commissioner confirmed that the suspect will face charges in court once the investigation is complete.

In a separate development, the Bauchi State Police Command has also apprehended a suspected gang member involved in the murder of six corps members during the 2011 post-presidential election violence in Giade Local Government Area.

The deceased corps members were identified as Nkwazema Anslem from Imo State, Adewumi Paul from Ekiti State, Okpokiri Obinna from Abia State, Teidi Tosin from Kogi State, Adewei Elliot from Bayelsa State, and Ukeoma Chibuzor from Imo State.

The suspect, along with his accomplices, allegedly attacked the Giade Divisional Police Headquarters, leading to the death of policewoman Rifkatu Bappa, who succumbed to her injuries at the Federal Medical Centre, Azare. The gang also looted shops, escalating the violence and disorder.

Muhammad assured that the suspect, who had been on the run for a decade, will be prosecuted following the completion of the ongoing investigation.