A 14-year-old boy, Nafiu Usman, was thrown inside an oven by the owner of a bakery in Bajoga, Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State for stealing a loaf of bread.
The incident happened in the afternoon of December 30 and the state government got wind of the news on Friday, January 10.
The manager of the bakery has since been arrested by the police, arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court and remanded in prison custody while the bakery has been closed down by the state government after it was informed of the development.
It was gathered that the young boy, who was said to be an almajiri and apparently hungry, came to the bakery, looked around and stole a loaf of bread.
As he was about to leave with the loaf, he was caught by workers in the bakery who then handed him to the owner, one Muhammad Buba. In an apparent anger, the man was said to have thrown him inside the hot oven.
He was, however, taken out of the oven by some of those who came to buy bread and one of them reported the matter to the police. The police eventually arrested the man and took the boy to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe.
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Though the boy is currently receiving treatment at the hospital, the state government, which later got details of the development, has promised to foot his medical bills.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Command said the accused person had been arrested and arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court 2 in Bajoga and has been ordered to be remanded at the Correctional facility while investigations continue.
In a press release by the command signed by the deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Yusuf Balami, it said that it is doing everything possible to ensure that justice was done in the matter, adding that as soon as the case was reported at Bajoga Divisional Headquarters, police swung into action and arrested the suspect.
Also, the Gombe State governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has condemned the incident, describing it as dehumanising and unjustifiable.
The governor who said that he received the report of the incident with much sadness and annoyance, said that it was unacceptable for anyone to inflict such pain on a fellow human being for whatever reason.
Governor Yahaya ordered relevant agencies in the state to follow up the matter and ensure that the perpetrator of the act faced the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrent to others.
