LIVE UPDATES
KATSINA, Nigeria- The Katsina State Police Command has taken into custody two alleged kidnappers who kidnapped two minors in the Faskari Local Government Area and demanded a ransom of six million nairas from their families.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, announced this while presenting the suspects in Katsina on Friday.
He stated that the suspects, Yahaya Sani, 45, and Ikra Aminu, 22, both from Bilbis village in the Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State, were apprehended following extensive investigation and tracking of the phone number they used to request the ransom.
On January 17, 2025, the two minors, Amir Abubakar, 6, and Abba Abubakar, 9, both from Faskari LGA, Katsina State, were taken by the suspects. The suspects subsequently contacted the victims' families via GSM, demanding ransom for their safe return.
Aliyu revealed that after receiving the report, the operatives of the Command promptly took action, successfully tracing the phone number utilized by the suspects to request the ransom, which led to their capture.
During the investigation, the suspects admitted to conspiring with Dan Garba Bilbis, Yusuf Hayin Gada, and Hamisu Dinkin Bado, who are currently at large. The investigation is still ongoing.
In another instance, the state command's representative mentioned that on January 31, 2025, around 2200 hrs, the command apprehended Umar Lawal, 18, of Ibrahim Coomassie Road, GRA Katsina, in connection with a suspected attempt to commit culpable homicide by poisoning the food of an intended target.
Further investigation revealed that the suspect had also engaged in bestiality on three different occasions, an offense which violates section 214 of the penal code. The investigation remains ongoing.
In a separate case, the command successfully dismantled two syndicates of suspected vandals and thieves involved in the vandalism and theft of armored cables in Batagarawa and Mashi Local Government Areas.
The suspects were arrested on January 21, 2025, following a tip-off regarding the syndicates who had been causing trouble in the two LGAs during a sting operation, where a significant amount of armored cables and a plier used in their illegal activities were seized from them.
During the investigation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime and also implicated one Lamma and one Ibrahim M., who are currently at large. Efforts are underway to apprehend the fleeing suspects as the investigation continues.
