The Nigeria Police Force has arrested suspects allegedly linked to the staged kidnapping of a two-year-old boy in Jos, Plateau State, as well as a separate kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate uncovered during intelligence-led operations.
The arrests were carried out by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), according to a statement issued on Friday, August 28, by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu.
In the first case, police arrested 34-year-old Nansik Wuyep Sule in connection with the reported abduction of two-year-old Rito Jesse Davou.
According to the police, investigations revealed that Sule allegedly connived with the child’s biological mother, Catherine Davou, to stage the kidnapping and create the impression that the boy had been abducted.
The police said an initial ransom demand of N7 million was made. Further investigations reportedly revealed that the child was being kept at Sule’s residence, where the ransom demand was allegedly increased to N15 million.
Another suspect, Luka Emmanuel Butdam, was also arrested for allegedly making ransom-related calls to the child’s grandmother.
Police operatives subsequently located and rescued the child. He was given medical attention before being reunited with his biological father.
In a separate operation, the IRT arrested Idris Mohammed, popularly known as Yellow, and Mohammed Bello Adams over their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of a commercial driver and other criminal activities.
The police said investigations revealed that the victim, Idris Zakari Baba, was allegedly lured by Mohammed under the pretext of transporting him from Abuja to Zaria.
He was reportedly intercepted by armed men, taken into the bush and held captive until a ransom of N3 million was paid.
His 2012 Toyota Corolla was later traced to Bauchi State and recovered while Mohammed was allegedly attempting to sell the vehicle.
Further investigations, the police said, linked the suspects to the alleged kidnapping of Pastor David Dahni and his driver, Abdullahi Abubakar, during which a ransom of N10.5 million was reportedly paid.
The Force said investigations into both cases are ongoing, with efforts focused on identifying other persons allegedly involved and determining the full extent of the suspects’ activities.
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