By Grâçia Obi
A 6-year-old boy was rescued by Fulanis from ritualists at 7 pm on Thursday, March 23 after he was located in Guaraka bush in Suleja, Suleja Local Government Area (LGA) in Niger State, Northcentral Nigeria.
Suleja is located 37 kilometres from Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital.
Dani Usman, originally from Jos but whose single mother lives in Gwazunu in Suleja went missing for hours and was found sleeping when the Fulanis were going home from rearing their cattle.
According to one of the Fulanis whose name is Mshelia, “on seeing the sleeping child, suddenly the two men who were probably trying on how to carry him away saw them and took to their heels through the bush path and ran away.”
Mshelia who spoke English very fluently said when they saw “the boy sleeping and suddenly sighted the two men around him, he thought the men had done something to him that made him sleep off because he was wondering how the boy got himself to the bush all alone.”
Asked why he took the child to a neighbour who reside near the area where he was found and not to the Police Station, Mshelia said: “I don’t want the Police to think I am responsible for the boy’s disappearance and is late, I’ll be detained, at least you know what is going on in Nigeria today. The Fulanis are being held responsible for any crime today in Nigeria.
“I am peacefully living here with my family for 32 years now.”
Meanwhile, the Policemen in B Division in Suleja have united the child with his mother.