BY: ABDULKADIR M LAWAN, OCTOBER 07, 2026/ 03:37PM
The Yobe State Police Command has arrested a nine-year-old boy for allegedly setting his family house ablaze, leading to the death of his two stepmothers and two younger brothers.
In a report by Daily Trust newspaper, the incident occurred at Rugan Badal, a hamlet in Karasuwa Local Government Area of the state.
According to the police, the minor allegedly carried out the act as revenge after his father punished him for stealing a fowl.
The paper said, speaking during an interview, the young suspect narrated how he executed the act.
'I carried one of our fowls to sell; the general public, looking at my age, reported me to my father, and I was beaten.
'The following day, I bought N50 worth of matches in the neighbourhood while my two stepmothers and two younger brothers were asleep; I set our house on fire as revenge for what my father did to me,' he said.
The fire reportedly engulfed the residence while the victims were asleep and trapped inside.
The boy further claimed that after starting the fire, he raised an alarm to attract neighbours for rescue, without initially confessing to being responsible.
'Although when the house caught fire, I only shouted for help and people came for the rescue, I did not tell them that I was the one who did it until after three days of prayer; I now confessed and was later arrested by policemen and brought here to Damaturu,' he added.
The Yobe State Police Command on Tuesday paraded the suspect alongside his father, Abubakar Idi.
Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Yusuf Adamu-Ali, acknowledged the suspect’s young age but stressed that the gravity of the crime requires legal accountability to serve as a deterrent.
The tragic incident has thrown the local community into shock and mourning. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.