Police Recover Stolen Toyota Hilux and Ransom Proceeds
Spiritualist Accused of Aiding Kidnapping Gang
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Police Command has apprehended five suspected kidnappers, a spiritualist, and a notorious car thief in a series of targeted operations. The suspects, visibly malnourished and weak, were caught in Kundun Village, Kaduna, and other areas, with stolen goods and vehicles seized as evidence.
According to the police command’s spokesman, Mansir Hassan, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit led an operation on November 5, 2024, that resulted in the arrest of Umar Haruna, Shuaibu Umar, and Hairatu Muntari (also known as Talatu) in Kundun Village. Their gang leader, however, is still at large.
“During questioning, the suspects admitted to their involvement in numerous kidnappings and disclosed plans to abduct a resident of Maraban Yakawada,” said Hassan. Investigators also uncovered that the ransom money from previous kidnappings had been used to buy bags of maize, which were recovered as evidence. Additionally, a man named Abubakar, who tended cattle for the gang, was detained, and officers recovered eight cows, seven calves, and eight sheep linked to the criminal group.
**Kidnapping of 3-Year-Old Solved After Ransom Payment**
In another case, Kaduna police arrested two suspects involved in the abduction of a 3-year-old girl. Her parents had paid a ransom of N2 million on November 2, 2024, to secure her release. The next day, detectives from the Saminaka Division began investigating and soon tracked down one of the suspects, Isa Sa’adu, 25, from Agaji Village.
“Sa’adu confessed to the crime during interrogation, and several items purchased with ransom money were retrieved, including a mobile phone, N400,000 cash, a Boxer motorcycle, a bicycle, and a bag of rice,” Hassan revealed. The police also arrested a spiritualist, Malam Mohammed Sani Usman, 35, alleged to have provided guidance to Sa’adu in planning the kidnapping.
Car Theft Suspect Intercepted En Route to Buyer
In a separate operation, officers acting on intelligence arrested 50-year-old Rotimi Oyewale from Ejigbo, Lagos State, on November 8, 2024, in Tafa, Kaduna State. Oyewale confessed to stealing a Toyota Hilux vehicle from Ado Ekiti, intending to deliver it to a buyer in Kaduna for N2.5 million.
The suspect also admitted to previously stealing three other vehicles, including a Toyota Camry and a green Toyota Corolla Sport, sold to the same buyer. Police are actively pursuing the buyer and other members of the vehicle theft network operating in Kaduna and surrounding regions.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Abdullahi, praised the officers involved in these successful operations and reiterated the command’s commitment to dismantling kidnapping and criminal networks across Kaduna State.
