Men of the Police force attached to the Nyanya Police Division on Friday afternoon arrested an 11-year-old boy (name withheld) for allegedly trying to set ablaze the Area B/C Mosque, near Customs Quarters in Nyanya, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the Imam of the mosque, Zubairu Mohammed, the boy had earlier set fire to one of the Mosque’s Qur’anic classrooms without knowing that a security man was sleeping inside and had noticed the fire.
He added that after the security man had put off the fire, he sighted the boy holding a gallon of fuel as well as a box of matches near the main mosque and apprehended him.
In his words, “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.”
Zubairu further stated that he ordered the boy to be kept in the mosque’s security’s custody while he went for the Jumat service.
The clergyman added that the incident was reported to a senior Imam who sent for the police, and in turn took the boy to their 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 Sergeant O. 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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