The police in Kogi State, say the father of an 11-year-old boy buried alive by his stepbrother in the Apamsede area of the state, have taken to their heels.
Spokesman of the Kogi police command, SP Williams Ovye-Aya disclosed this while speaking to journalists.
SP Ovye-Aya said the police are looking for the father of the young boy, identified as Oshodi to also hear from him.
However, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the district head of Apamsede, Garba Ahmed, disclosed that on the day of the incident, the father of the boy, stepmother, and stepson were summoned to the palace of the traditional ruler of the area to find out what led to the incident – burying of the boy alive.
“When they came to the chief’s palace, Oshodi, the father of the 11-year-old boy, was present at the palace when both the stepson and stepmother gave reasons for their action.
“The boy’s father probably ran away when we insisted on inviting the police to handle the matter,” Ahmed was quoted by NAN.
According to him, the suspects’ family would be made to offer sacrifices to cleanse the land, after which they would be banished.
“Once the stepmother and her son finished facing the wrath of the law, we shall banish them from this land.
“But before we banish them, we will ensure that the family offers a sacrifice to cleanse the land,” he added.
The police squad, reports say, that escorted the boy’s stepmother on Saturday morning to their Apamsede home noticed that the shovel and cutlass reportedly used in burying the teenager were missing.
The residence was locked, however, the police team noticed some alterations in the setting compared to what they witnessed on Friday during their visit.
“Somebody must have entered this your house. Yesterday, when we came here, the house was locked, and the window curtain inside wasn’t down, as we can see now.
“Some of the things that we met outside here yesterday are no more here. Somebody must have come around here,” the police said.
The police had to break the lock to gain entrance into the house as the woman claimed she had no key.
“Where’s the shovel and cutlass you said were in the house? This is because nothing is here. Somebody must have packed the valuables here,” one of the officers said.
Reports say some concerned citizens in Apamisede had a few days ago, rescued the young boy.
