The Bauchi State Police Command says it has arrested a 28-year-old man, Lawal Nasiru, accused of assaulting an 11-year-old Almajiri pupil in Darazo Local Government Area.

According to the command’s spokesman, CSP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, the incident happened on September 21. Nasiru, who lives in Unguwar Jarmai, allegedly bound young Sani Abdullahi with a heavy rope and went on to beat him with a cable and also a stick.

CBI News understands that the boy, a pupil in one of the Tsangaya schools around the community, sustained injuries on both his hands and legs. It was not immediately reported until the following day, when Idris Mohammed from the Darazo Social Welfare Department raised the matter at the divisional police station.

The Divisional Police Officer, SP Auwalu Ilu, quickly led his men to the area. They picked up the suspect on the spot, while the boy was rushed to the General Hospital, Darazo, for treatment.

During questioning, Nasiru admitted he tied the boy, but he insisted his reason was only to prevent him from leaving the school before his parents got there. The child, however, gave a different account, telling police that he was locked up and beaten for no reason at all.

The Bauchi Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has now directed that the case be taken over by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). Police say the suspect will be profiled and, eventually, charged to court once investigations are finished.