DRAMA recently ensued in Kano State when the
father of a five year old boy abandoned his son
at Singer Market in Fagge Local Government Area
having exchanged him for a bag of rice he could not pay for.
In the first such incident of its kind, a middle-aged
man, identified as Mallam Yusuf Bala, left his son
with a trader in the marker in exchange for a bag
of rice. According to an eyewitness account, Bala
approached the rice dealer, Alhaji Suleiman Bagudu,
to buy a bag of rice, which he carried home but left
his son behind, with a promise to rush home to bring
the money for the foodstuff.
This, he said, was because the money Bala had
on him was not enough to pay for the bag of rice,
which sold for N14,000 per 50kg bag. However,
six hours afterwards, Bala failed to show up as
promised to settle the rice dealer and collect his
son, making the trader, Alhaji Bagudu, suspicious.
Consequently, Alhaji Bagudu decided to interrogate
the toddler, who then innocently led the rice dealer
to their home, located at the abattoir area of Koki
in Dala Local Government Area of the state. Despite
expressing embarrassment when the rice dealer arrived
his home, alongside his child, Bala openly confessed
that he was financially handicapped, hence his unbecoming
conduct by abandoning his son as a last resort.
Shortly after listening to Bala’s explanation, the rice dealer
donated the bag of rice to him and handed over the boy to
his father. Kano State Police Command spokesman
Musa Majia, said the incident had not been reported to him.