A 13-year-old boy, Umar Hashim, has been arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Plateau State Police Command for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Tasiu Abdullahi.
The tragic incident occurred in December 2024 in the Rikkos community of Jos North Local Government Area, following the payment of a ransom.
Hashim was apprehended after visiting a SIM registration center in the Katako area of Jos North. He was paraded alongside six other suspects at the state police command’s headquarters on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists, Hashim claimed security operatives informed him that his phone number was used to demand ransom from Tasiu’s family. He explained that he had purchased a new SIM card from Usman Abdullahi at a registration center on December 12 and asked him to register it.
Due to network issues, the registrar instructed him to return with an older family member’s NIN for verification since he was underage. Hashim said that after returning with his brother’s NIN and buying a recharge card for the registrar, the SIM was handed back to him with the assurance that the registration was complete.
“I had no knowledge that the SIM card was used to demand ransom as alleged by the security operatives,” Hashim stated.
In response, Abdullahi admitted selling the SIM card to Hashim but claimed he had handed it to a friend after registration. Abdullahi maintained he was unaware of his friend’s actions before the SIM was returned to the boy.
