Niger police recover N3.2m, arrest 7 kidnappers

Niger State Police Command has arrested seven kidnappers from Shiroro and New Bussa areas of the state.

This is as the police recovered N3.2 million from the suspects, which they claimed was the ransom paid by their victims.

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Parading the suspects at the Police Headquarters in Minna, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Wasiu Abiodun, said four of the suspects were arrested along Gwada/Shiroro road while the other three were arrested along Ibbi/New Bussa road.

The three suspects caught along Ibbi/New Bussa said that the money was from the proceeds from the kidnapping ransom of three victims they kidnapped from Nasko and Mashegu Local Government Areas.

The suspects are Usman Shehu, Bello Muhammed and Ibrahim Shuaibu who said they came from Kebbi State to carry out their nefarious activities.

Usman said that the whole proceeds from the kidnap was N8 million and that they were unfortunate to have been caught while they were coming to Minna to share their part of the proceeds which was N1.7 million.

“I didn’t expect that we would be caught. It is true that we kidnapped the people but we never knew we would be caught.” he said.

Other suspects arrested along Gwada/Shiroro road are Abdulkareem Mohammed, Nura Ibrahim, Jamilu Mohammed and Hauwa Mohammed.

Hauwa, who is a female in the group confessed that she links the suspects to motorcycle riders after they have kidnapped their victims.

Abdulkareem Mohammed confessed that his group is part of the armed bandits terrorizing Kussasu/ Galadima Kogo area of Shiroro LGA and that the money was proceeds from kidnapping ransom and sale of rustled cattle.

He said that they were sent to transfer the money to Ishaku, and Adamu in Kagarko in Kaduna State when they were caught while Nura Ibrahim and Jemilu Mohammed are the motorists who specialise in transporting hoodlums.

The PPRO said that the police recovered N1.5 million from the second group of kidnappers saying that the case is under investigation and would soon be charged to court.