Septuagenarian arrested for defiling minor in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 70-year-old man for allegedly defiling a 10-year-old girl in Magama Gumau, Toro Local Government Area of the state.

The suspect, identified as Hamza Yahaya, was arrested on May 15, 2026, after the victim’s father — a 40-year-old resident of the same area — reported to police that Yahaya had lured his daughter to a hideout within the community and sexually assaulted her.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Habib, said in a statement on Saturday that detectives attached to the Toro Division mobilised to the scene immediately upon receipt of the complaint and effected the arrest. During interrogation, Yahaya denied the most recent allegation but voluntarily confessed to having sexually assaulted the same victim on three previous occasions at the same location.

Both the victim and the suspect were taken to the General Hospital, Toro, for medical examination and treatment. Yahaya has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Bauchi, for further investigation and prosecution.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, assured the public that the case would be pursued diligently to ensure justice is served, while urging parents, guardians, and community members to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity that may compromise the safety and welfare of children.

In a separate development, operatives of E Division, Yelwa, on May 16, 2026, arrested a suspected motorcycle thief, Bashir Usman, 19, in the Gwallameji area after intercepting him during routine patrol with an unregistered red Haojue motorcycle.

Usman confessed during preliminary interrogation to have stolen the motorcycle from a student lodge within Gwallameji.

Habib said the command had launched a detailed investigation to identify and trace the rightful owner, adding that the recovered motorcycle would be released to the owner on bond upon verification.

Usman remains in custody and will be charged in court upon the conclusion of preliminary investigations.