Police in the Northern East Region have arrested a 26-year-old man for kidnapping a five-year-old girl in Walewale.

The suspect, Solomon Awunibiliga, is said to have abducted the girl from Walewale and absconded to Mirigu, a farming community in the Kasena-Nakana Municipality in the Upper East Region where he was apprehended after receiving intelligence.

The victim is said to have gone missing two weeks ago after she went to school and did not return home.

Her disappearance caused fear and panic in Walewale, as relatives and friends explored every nook and cranny of the municipality but efforts proved futile.

Confirming the news to Graphic Online, the North East Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Robert Annabik Anmain, said the suspect was picked up at his hideout at Mirigu

He has since been detained in custody at Walewale to assist with investigations.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the mother of the suspect was said to have asked him to get her a grandchild before she died, otherwise he should never step foot at her funeral ground.

To satisfy his mother's demands, the suspect reportedly visited Walewale and lured the child who had closed from school and was returning home.

"Our investigations so far revealed that he (the suspect) met the child returning from school and he lured her that he was taking her to her mother but boarded a vehicle and took her to his village called Mirigu in the Kasena-Nankana Municipality in the Upper East Region,” he said.

According to him, the police are still investigating the matter and that the suspect had been charged with child stealing and would be processed for court.

ASP Anmain indicated that the child had since reunited with her family after a medical check-up at the Walewale Municipal Hospital.

He further expressed concern over the increasing spate of kidnapping cases in the region.

He advised parents to be wary of unknown individuals parading in their communities.

There have been growing incidents of kidnap-for-ransom in the region which have become a major security threat in the area.

Last year, about 10 cases of kidnapping were recorded in the region, with most of the cases happening at Mamprugu/Moaduri.