An 11-year-old boy (names withheld) was yesterday afternoon arrested
by the police at Nyanya Division for allegedly trying to set ablaze the
Area B/C Mosque, near Customs Quarters in Nyanya, Abuja.
Imam of the mosque, Zubairu Mohammed, toldnewsmen that the boy had
earlier set fire to one of the Mosque’s Qur’anic classroomc and did not
know that a security man was sleepinginside and had noticed the fire.
He said the security man after extinguishing the fire, sighted the
boy holding a gallon of fuel as well as a box of matches near the main
Mosque and apprehended him.
“The incident happened during the time of Juma’at Prayers (1:30 pm)
and it was my security who first alerted me before I rushed down to see
the boy with a gallon and box of matches,” the Imam said.
The Imam said he ordered that the boy be kept with the mosque’s security’s custody and went to Jumat service.
He said a senior Imam was told of the incident and he sent for the police, who took the boy totheir station.
The Imam praised the divisional police officer for his effort in calming the situation and beginning the investigation.
At the Nyanya Police Station, the divisional police officer was not
on seat but one SergeantO. Ibrahim, said that the boy confessed that his
accomplice, a student of one of the secondary schools in Nyanya,
escaped when he was caught.
“The boy is with the juvenile section of the station and we are
investigating the matter because it is very serious,” the police officer
said.
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