Yobe boy burns family home in revenge, kills stepmothers, brothers

A nine-year-old boy has been arrested in Yobe State for allegedly setting his family home ablaze in a revenge attack that killed his two stepmothers and two younger brothers.

The incident occurred at Rugan Badal, a hamlet in Karasuwa Local Government Area of the state.

The Yobe State Police Command said the boy allegedly started the fire after his father punished him for stealing a fowl.

The suspect, while speaking to Channels Television, said he bought matches worth N50 the day after he was beaten and waited until his stepmothers and younger brothers were asleep before setting the house on fire.

“I carried one of our fowls to sell; the general public, looking at my age, reported me to my father, and I was beaten.

“The following day, I bought N50 worth of matches in the neighbourhood while my two stepmothers and two younger brothers were asleep; I set our house on fire as revenge for what my father did to me,” he said.

The fire reportedly spread rapidly through the house, trapping the four victims inside.

The boy said he raised an alarm after setting the building ablaze but did not initially disclose that he was responsible.

“Although when the house caught fire, I only shouted for help and people came for the rescue, I did not tell them that I was the one who did it until after three days of prayer; I now confessed and was later arrested by policemen and brought here to Damaturu,” he added.

The police paraded the suspect alongside his father, Abubakar Idi, in Damaturu on Tuesday.

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Yusuf Adamu-Ali, acknowledged the suspect’s age but said the seriousness of the incident required appropriate legal action.

The case remains under investigation as authorities seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the alleged arson.