Rakia Aliu, the mother of 10-year-old Ibrahim Sani, has expressed strong disapproval of the Niger State Police Command for holding her son in custody on suspicion of stealing maize in the Kontagora area.
According to our sources, young Ibrahim allegedly took about nine “mudu” of maize from a grinding shop and sold it to someone before being apprehended and handed over to local vigilantes.
In an interview on Thursday, Rakia revealed that her son was detained because the buyer needed to be questioned.
She explained, “He went to the police station around 6pm on Wednesday, they took him away and locked him in the cell till the following morning.”
Expressing her frustration, Rakia emphasized that her son remains in custody until the buyer, who does not reside in Kontagora, appears at the police station.
Responding to inquiries, Wasiu Alabi, the Police Public Relations Officer for Niger State, acknowledged the incident and clarified that the boy was assisting with investigations.
He emphasized that it was not necessarily detention, but a form of protective custody, asserting, “It’s not like they will go and keep the boy in the same cell with criminals. It’s not everybody in the police station who is under arrest or detention that is kept with criminals.”
Quest Times further reports that Alabi explained that Ibrahim is aiding the police in locating the receiver of the stolen maize.
He concluded that being a juvenile offender does not imply innocence, as the police are actively investigating the theft. Thus, efforts are underway to apprehend the receiver, as the boy has confessed to the crime.