The Niger State Police Command has arrested six suspects allegedly linked to a kidnapping syndicate operating along the Suleja and Kontagora axes, with alleged connections to Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states.
The suspects were arrested in separate operations following investigations into kidnapping, ransom demands, criminal conspiracy, threats to commit kidnapping and abetment, according to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun.
Abiodun disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, saying detectives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Minna, uncovered the syndicate through sustained investigation.
The suspects were identified as Amira Yusuf, 23, of Kano State; Abdullahi Garba, 40, of Sokoto State; Ibrahim Mohammed, 37, of Kano State; Maijida Abubakar, 26, of Kano State; Abdullahi Sani, 40, of Zamfara State; and Bello Shehu, 22, of Sokoto State.
According to the police, the syndicate allegedly used private vehicles to lure unsuspecting victims by offering them lifts before drugging them and taking them to hideouts in neighbouring states.
The investigation began after police received a report on May 14 concerning the alleged kidnapping of a woman and her baby in Suleja on February 7.
Police said the victim’s relatives received a ₦50 million ransom demand two days after the abduction and eventually paid ₦9.5 million in instalments into three different accounts. The abductors, however, allegedly refused to release the woman and threatened to kill her.
The woman later escaped but left behind her phone, ATM card and other personal belongings. Police said the suspects allegedly used information from her abandoned belongings to demand another ₦10.5 million ransom from another woman who had been abducted in Shagari, Sokoto State, while travelling to visit her husband in Kontagora.
The investigation led to the arrest of Amira Yusuf on July 2. Police said she claimed during interrogation that she had initially been abducted and deceived by the alleged kingpin, Mustapha Yusuf, who remains at large.
However, the police are treating Amira as a suspect in the alleged kidnapping syndicate.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Abdullahi Garba, also known as Zidane, on July 26 at a residence where police said Amira had allegedly been kept following her abduction.
Police subsequently arrested Ibrahim Mohammed Kote on August 7 and Maijida Abubakar Yusuf on August 10.
According to the police, Ibrahim is the alleged kingpin’s brother-in-law and had previously stood as his surety when Mustapha was arrested by another security agency in Kano.
Police also identified Maijida as Mustapha’s wife and alleged that she was involved in the syndicate. Her account was reportedly used to receive several ransom payments, which police said she confessed to receiving.
The police added that proceeds from the alleged criminal activities were used to purchase a Honda Civic, renovate her room and acquire household items.
In another operation, police arrested Abdullahi Sani, also known as Samaila Atulu, in Zaria on August 19, with assorted charms reportedly recovered from him.
Police said Sani confessed to using the charms to defraud members of the public under the guise of providing spiritual assistance and subsequently arranging with Mustapha for some of his clients to be kidnapped.
He was also reportedly identified during an identification parade at the Police Command Headquarters by a victim, who pointed to him as one of those allegedly involved in her abduction and that of her baby in Suleja.
The sixth suspect, Bello Shehu, was arrested over allegations that he provided Mustapha with information about the whereabouts of the second victim from Shagari, Sokoto State. Police said the two were acquainted.
The Police said Mustapha Yusuf and two other suspects identified as Jafar and Fatima remain at large, while efforts are ongoing to arrest them and recover additional evidence.
The six suspects remain in police custody for further investigation and interrogation, after which the case will be charged to court for prosecution.
The Command reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling criminal networks and protecting lives and property, while urging residents to provide credible information that could assist security agencies in combating crime.