Sophia Michaels
The Bauchi State Police Command has dismantled a three-man gang specializing in extortion by threatening to kidnap people if they do not pay ransom.
Spokesperson for the command, SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, ANIPR, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, March 24, 2024, said the suspects were arrested for criminal conspiracy, intimidation, threat to life, and attempt to commit an offence to-wit kidnapping.
According to the PPRO, the suspects were arrested after they threatened to kidnap a businessman, Yahaya Adamu and his family members if he fails to pay N5 ransom.
“The unrelenting and aggressive counter-kidnapping strategies of the Bauchi State Police Command in the fight against kidnapping and other heinous crimes have continued to yield positive results. Operatives of the Command and other sister security agencies recorded yet another breakthrough harvest of criminals and elements,” the statement read.
“In an effort to nip in the bud the recent trends of kidnapping, on the 7th day of March 2024 at about 1400hrs one Yahaya Adamu ‘m’ of Badakoshi village Bauchi LGA, complained to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU) domiciled in Criminal Investigation Department Bauchi State Command that on the 4th March 2024 at about 2030hrs an anonymous individual called him on phone and introduced himself to him.
“He threatened him to produce the sum of five million (N5.000,000:00) or else he would mobilise his gang to kidnap either him (Yahaya) in particular or his family members. A few days later, the claimed kidnappers sent him their account details using a Point of Sale (POS) Businessman account to deposit the requested amount.
“Moreover, the suspected kidnappers emphasised that they knew all his assets and family members and to prove it, they started mentioning their names one after the other further threatening that if the complainant resist to deposit the demanded amount, he would be at risk.
“On receipt of the intelligence, the Commissioner of Police Bauchi State Command CP Auwal Muhammad Musa psc, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to discreetly investigate the circumstances surrounding the report.
“The investigation was conducted using modern technology and resulted in the arrest of the following suspects: 1. Haro Adamu ‘m’ aged 35yrs, 2. Aliyu Saidu ‘m’ aged 40yrs, and 3. Musa Umaru ‘m’ aged 35yrs of Birnin Kudu LGA of Jigawa State.
“Additionally, the defendants were differently arrested in Birnin Kudu LGA of Jigawa State and Kaltunga via Plateau State respectively.
“An interrogation was conducted with the defendants who voluntarily confessed to the alleged criminal act.
“According to the 1st defendant, “Haro Adamu” stated that he was arrested in the process of collecting the ransom from the Point of Sale (POS) businessman situated at Kurkwi village via Shandam LGA, Plateau State.
“He added that sometime in the year 2022, the defendants (Haro Adamu) criminally conspired with two others namely: Musa Umar ‘m’ and Aliyu Saidu and called one Alh. Yahaya ‘m’ of Alkaleri LGA, Bauchi State through mobile phone and threatened him and thereafter demanded and collected the sum of three hundred thousand naira (N300,000.00).
“He gave one hundred thousand naira (N100,000) to Musa Umaru as his share of the proceeds of the crime. Again, sometime in 2024, the same defendant and his gang called a man from Ogbomosho via Oyo State and threatened him afterwards demanding and collecting the sum of two hundred thousand naira (N200,000).
“While, the 2nd defendant, (Aliyu Saidu) disclosed that he was the one who gave out Alh. Yahaya’s phone number to his group members to threaten him to collect a huge amount of money from him, even though, the accused had been together with the complainant for more than 30 years in bond and the trust bestowed on him, he cheated on him and for that, he is regretting his actions.
“Similarly, the 3rd defendant also confessed to having actively partaken in the act. In addition to that he further revealed that he was a professional local fraudster who specialized in duping people by calling them on the phone or stopping them on the roadway and deceitfully duping travellers. He was sometimes arrested and sentenced to imprisonment but without serving the jail term, he bulldozed process and was released from jail.
“Following his release from the correctional centre, he indulged in the act of kidnapping for ransom. All the aforementioned suspects will be charged to court for prosecution.”
