A 39-year-old man, Yusuf Umar, from Dagu village in Warji LGA of Bauchi State, has been apprehended by the Bauchi State Police Command for trying to sell his 5-year-old daughter for N1.5 million.
The shocking incident was disclosed by Commissioner of Police Auwal Musa Mohammed during a press briefing at the Police headquarters in Bauchi.
According to the Commissioner, “Man was apprehended while attempting to sell his biological daughter.
Detectives of the Command arrested one Yusuf Umar aged 49yrs of Dagu village via Warji LGA of Bauchi State.
The suspect who claimed to be a staff with Warji Local Government area council was arrested for trafficking his 5-year-old biological child.”
The Commissioner detailed the operation, revealing that on May 26, 2024, Yusuf Umar took his daughter from her mother under the pretense of visiting his sister in Bauchi town.
Unbeknownst to the mother, Umar had arranged to hand over the girl to an undercover police officer posing as a buyer, agreeing on a price of N1.5 million.
“Unknown to the mother, he had already arranged to hand over the girl to an unknown person, not knowing that he is a Police detective, where the defendant was arrested in a Hotel in Bauchi after he bargained for N1.5m to give up his biological daughter,” Mohammed added.
The Commissioner also noted that Umar had sent N40,000 as transportation fare to the intermediary who connected him with the supposed buyer.
“I have directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Intelligent Department (CID) to discreetly investigate the crux of the matter to unravel more motives behind the defendants actions, after which he will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation for the established offence,” said Mohammed.
Yusuf Umar confessed to the crime, stating, “Wallahi, I did not know what came upon to take such a decision. It was the handiwork of my enemies who turned my brain upside down. I did not know how got to that decision. The devil really cheated me.”