By ADELOWO OLADIPO

Police have announced the arrest of three suspects over allegation of conspiracy and kidnapping, recovering about N230,000 and other exhibits from them in Niger State.

Police operatives attached to Tudun-Wada Division of the State Police Command arrested three suspects namely Danjuma Mohammed, aged 22yrs, Mohammed Yasin, aged 20yrs and one Mohammed Usman, aged 25yrs, stressing that all the suspects were ‘males ’ of Barkin Saleh, Minna, the state capital

A statement issued and made available to the newsmen by the Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO), Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun stated this on Friday in Minna.

He said, “On 26th May 2021 at about 0935hrs, an incident of suspected kidnapping was reported at Tudun-Wada Division that a 9-year-old boy was suspected to have been abducted by unknown persons from school premises along Shiroro road, Minna at about 0745hrs,” adding that the parents of the abducted victims were contacted to pay a ransom of N500,000 by an unknown caller.

The statement, however, stated further that, the abducted boy was later found around Lamgbeji area of Barkin-Saleh at about 1900hrs same day after he was said to have escaped from the abductors while the case was now under investigation by the Police.

In a related development, the Police Spokesman said, on 11/06/2021 at about 1700hrs another incident of kidnapping of a 9-year old boy from David Mark road, Minna by unknown person(s) was also reported at the same division adding that the parents of the victim were equally contacted for a ransom of N45million.

Wasiu Abiodun stated further that the parents of the little abducted little child were made to pay a sum of N300,000 as agreed ransom through a bank account of a number of a bank (names withheld) sent to the complainants after which the victim was released on 13 /06/2021.

The statement added that during the painstaking investigation, the Police operatives swung into action and arrested one Danjuma Mohammed at Barkin-Saleh who was said to have led the Police to his accomplices in crime, said to be the principal suspects; Mohammed Yasin and Mohammed Usman.

Mohammed Yasin, during interrogation allegedly confessed to the crime and narrated that he perpetrated the act with Mohammed Usman and one Almajiri who is presently at large.

The Almajiri was said to have been used to open a bank account with fake details where the ransom was paid and Danjuma allegedly acted as an informant.

Meanwhile, the following exhibits were said to have been recovered from the suspects: a sum of N230,000.00, two ATM cards, one MTN Sim card, two identity cards, two AEDC’s Utility bill, eight passport photographs and two postcard photographs.

Other items, according to the statement, include one Military camouflage face cap, one Tecno handset, two cutlass covers, one Axe, one saw, one sword, four knives, one iron rod, three calabash and assorted charms respectively, adding that efforts to arrest the other accomplice were still ongoing as of the time of filing this report. (Nigerian Tribune)

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