A 13-year-old Fulani herdboy, Rabi’u Tukur, lost his two eyes when two alleged kidnappers attacked him inside Kumbo Doro forest near Gina Rumbu in Kanam local government of Plateau state.
Kumbo Doro forest is known to harbour criminal elements due to the presence of mineral resources like Gypsum and Galena in the area.
Tukur, a cattle herder, was in the forest tending to his cows when alleged kidnappers accosted him.
Explaining what happened, Tukur’s uncle, Salihu Abubakar, who spoke to THE WHISTLER about the incident, said his nephew was attacked by kidnappers.
Abubakar said: “Those that did this were kidnappers, not ritualists. According to the boy, he was herding his cattle when the kidnappers called him to come and collect bread from them, but he refused and told them he didn’t want it.
“They then asked him to give them water and he told them he didn’t have any, by then he said he had started getting scared of them and didn’t trust them any longer.
“He then began to run, but they ran after him until they caught up with him, pinned him down and removed his two eyes with a sharp object, and told him that next time he would not run away.”
According to Abubakar, Tukur saw the two men who pinned him to the ground before removing his eyes and abandoning him in the forest.
A passer-by later heard Tukur’s cry for help and rushed to check him.
Upon sighting the boy in such helpless condition, he rushed to get a commercial motorcycle and took him to a hospital in Gombe, which was the nearest location to the forest.
Speaking further, Abubakar said, “When the thing happened, I was informed and went to the hospital. At first, we were told it happened within Alkaleri axis in Bauchi state, but we later found out it was not so.
“The Boy has been discharged from the hospital now. They have already removed his eyes, nothing can be done about it again.”
Lamenting the condition of his son, his father, Tukur Mamman, told THE WHISTLER that the 13-year-old is the 7th among his children.
“I feel sad about what happened to him, but what can I do other than leave things to God
“No one was arrested regarding this case for now, no information was gotten about them,” he said.
Comrade Bana I. Mahmud, Caretaker Chairman, Alkaleri Local Government in Bauchi State who at first also thought the incident happened within his jurisdiction, told THE WHISTLER he had launched a manhunt for the culprits.
He said: “As the chief security officer of the local government when I saw the picture, I first intimated the DPO, he said he heard about it and made all the necessary investigations in all the units within the local government, and there was no news like that.
“From there I called the DSS, they are my security adviser, and he too said he know nothing about it. I asked him to make some consultations, then I called all the vigilante groups to ask if they knew something about it, but they couldn’t trace the case.
“It was when I later called someone in another village that I was told it didn’t happened in Alkaleri, but Kumbo Doro in Karim Lamido local government in Taraba State. Close to Kampanin Zurak in Kanam local government of Plateau state.”
Reported by The Whistler
