Katsina State Police Command says it will arraign a neighbour to the family of an eight-year-old boy and five others arrested over the kidnapping of the child in Katsina metropolis.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Aliyu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that the suspects were arrested by the newly established Violent Crime Response Unit of the command.
He said the victim was abducted on May 13, 2026, while returning from an Islamic school, after which the suspects later contacted the family and demanded N50 million ransom.
According to him, following negotiations, the family paid N17 million before the victim was released.
Aliyu said operatives of the unit launched an investigation after the incident and, acting on credible intelligence, tracked and arrested six members of the syndicate on May 23, 2026.
He identified the suspects as Nura Aliyu (39), the alleged mastermind and neighbour to the victim’s family, Abubakar Aminu (37), Ibrahim Muhammad (51), Iliyasu Sani (51), Abubakar Muhammad (27), and Abdullahi Isma’il (30).
He added that the suspects confessed to the crime and mentioned another accomplice currently at large, while exhibits were recovered from them.
Recovered items include a Peugeot 307 vehicle, a Boxer motorcycle, and N7.5 million believed to be part of the ransom money.
The police spokesperson said the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigations, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect.
The Commissioner of Police in the state commended the operatives for the swift operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state.
Katsina: Police to arraign neighbour, five others over kidnap of schoolboy
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