Police Apprehends Man 56, For chaining, lock up Son over refusal to attend school in Niger

Abubakar said his decision to chain his son was as a result of the child’s refusal to go to either Islamic school or former school despite all his efforts.

The man who was said to have been arrested sometimes ago for molesting a student in his Islamic school where he teaches, was picked up in Minna on Wednesday by the state Child Right Agency for putting his son in chain and locked him up in the room.

As at the time filing this reports the Niger State Child Rights Agency had handed over the suspect to the Nigerian Police in Minna.

The motorcycle chains was tied around the boy’s ankles and padlocked and Mohammed told officials of the Chikd Right Agency that only his father can undo the chain as he has the key.

The Child Right Agency officials have to engage the services of a motorcycle repairer before the chain could be removed.

Speaking with newsmen on the development, the Director General of the Agency, Barrister Maryam Kolo said Abubakar’s neighbours alerted her office of the abuse.

“We got the information from the suspect’s neighbours and we promptly deployed our operatives who rescued the boy from where he was locked up by the father,” she explained.

She said Malam Abubakar is not a first time offender, adding that the last time he was arrested by the Agency an  handed to men of the Department of State Security Service for prosecution.

She said the Agency would hand him over to the security agencies for prosecution after concluding it’s investigation.

In an interview with newsmen at the premises of the Agency, Malam Abubakar said he took the action as corrective measures after repeated appeals to the son to mend his ways failed.

According to him, the son is fond of absconding from school and keeping late nights, adding that all the entreaties for him to change failed.

He said he chained and locked the boy up Wednesday morning after he went for the early morning prayers and did not see him in the mosque.

“We looked for him  everywhere but couldn’t find him. In fact he apparently did not sleep at home, so I went to where they normally hang out with his friends and saw him sleeping.

“I took him home and decided to use chain to prevent him from going any where until I returned from a naming ceremony but when I got back, I learnt some people from the human rights have taken him,” he explained.

The Agency said the state government would takeover the welfare of the boy after the required counseling, adding that the custody would be transferred to the mother who is living in a community in Katcha local government area.

The Niger State office of the National Human Rights Commission, said it would follow up the matter to its logical conclusion, adding that the action was akin to torture and inhuman treatment which the Anti-Torture Act 2017 seeks to address.

The head of the commission, Malam Nuhu Mohammed said the action was inhuman and degrading, pointing out that the Anti-Torture Act explicitly make the right to freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment nonnegotiable.

He said the commission is collaborating with relevant government agencies and rights groups in fighting various abuses and right issues in the state.