Shock as teenager confesses to killing neighbour’s 5-year-old son
A 17-year-old secondary school student, Elijah Anthony, has been arrested by the police for his involvement in the abduction and subsequent murder of a five-year-old primary school pupil, Dawon Pam, in Bukuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
In a shocking revelation, the suspect, who lived near the victim’s family, confessed that economic hardships drove him to commit the heinous act.
Elijah explained, “Hardship and suffering was what prompted me to commit the crime. I later realized that the victim who happened to be my neighbour had already seen my face and might expose me if released”.
Providing details of the heart-wrenching incident, Elijah disclosed, “On the 13th of this month (October), my friend and I planned and kidnapped the boy while he was moving around and we hid him in an uncompleted building.
“When the parents and relatives realized that the boy was nowhere to be found, they started searching for him. I pretend as if I didn’t know where he was. I even participated in searching for him. We later demanded ransom and five days after, I killed the boy. I strangled him to death and buried him”.
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During the investigation, the state commissioner of police, Okoro Julius, shared that the suspect had collected N400,000 ransom before killing the victim.
The police were able to apprehend Elijah after tracking a phone number used for ransom negotiations.
The commissioner further explained that the kidnappers initially demanded N5 million but settled for N400,000. Upon receiving the report, a police operation led by SP Okala Ugbede promptly swung into action and successfully tracked down the kidnappers.
“On 23/10/2023, one of the culprits, Elijah Anthony, 17yrs, was arrested. Upon interrogation, he admitted to have committed the crime,” stated the police commissioner.
Over the past month, the police command has arrested a total of 39 suspects and recovered 11 fabricated rifles, seven locally-made pistols, and ammunition.
The commissioner urged citizens to cooperate with the police in their efforts to rid the state of criminals.
