Police Arrest Suspected Kidnapper in Kaduna, Recover over N2m Share of Ransom

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a suspected kidnapper and recovered over N2million being part of the money he got from the criminal act.

The spokesperson of the state Police Command, Mansir Hassan, disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Kaduna.

He said police operatives attached to the Police Divisional Headquarters in Tafa, Kaduna, arrested the suspected kidnapper and recovered his share of the ransom money.

According to the police spokesperson, the suspect offered a bribe of N1 million to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to free himself, but it was rejected.

Hassan said: “On January 19, at about 2200 hours, the Police Divisional Headquarters in Tafa received credible information regarding the presence of a suspicious person in Easyway Hotel in Tafa town.”

According to the statement, operatives of the police division led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) stormed the hotel and arrested Bello Muhammad, 28, from Zamfara State and recovered the sum of N2,350, 000 suspected to be proceeds of kidnapping.

The statement added: “During the course of investigation, the suspect admitted to being a kidnapper who operates with his gang around Kagarko forest in Kaduna.

“The aforementioned sum is his own share of a ransom collected. Moreover, a check on his mobile phone corroborated the suspect’s confession as pictures of him brandishing an AK47 rifle in a forest.

“The said suspect, Muhammad, thus, offered N1million backhander to the DPO to stop him furthering the investigation, which the Police Officer rejected outright.”

Hassan said: “Investigations are still ongoing as the suspect is assisting the police with vital information.

“The state Commissioner of Police, A.D Ali, while praising the Tafa Police Division’s operatives, urged them and others not to dwindle but to increase the tempo until crimes are reduced minimally.

“The CP also tasked hoteliers, recreation and leisure service operators in the state to always scrutinise the identity of their customers to avoid providing criminals with safe haven.”