The Kaduna State Police Command has apprehended two individuals in Zaria, accused of burying a man alive.
ASP Mansir Hassan, the Command’s spokesperson, announced the arrests in a statement released on Thursday. The detentions followed the circulation of a viral video showing a man buried with only his head exposed.
According to Hassan, once the police became aware of the video, they immediately launched efforts to locate the 20-year-old victim from Gauraki village in Kufena Ward, Zaria, and apprehend those responsible, leading to the successful arrest of the suspects.
Initial investigations revealed that the victim and the suspects had been working together as laborers on a construction site in Abuja.
A cell phone belonging to one of the suspects, valued at N35,000, went missing at their lodging.
The suspects suspected the victim of stealing the phone and decided to withhold his daily wages to replace it. Angered by this decision, the victim left Abuja for Zaria, but the suspects, who are siblings, tracked him down.
On August 10, the suspects reportedly found the victim, forcibly took him to an unfinished building, and dug a hole resembling a grave. They tied his hands and feet, gagged him, and buried him up to his neck, leaving only his head above ground.
The victim was eventually discovered when a passerby heard his cries and alerted others, leading to his rescue. The suspects were subsequently arrested and, during interrogation, confessed to the crime.
Hassan emphasized that the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Audu Ali, has warned against taking the law into one’s own hands. He assured the public that the case would be thoroughly investigated and handled according to legal procedures.
