Police in Bauchi State have arrested two suspects over alleged criminal conspiracy and kidnapping following an intelligence-led operation that led to the rescue of a four-year-old boy.
The command’s spokesman, SP Nafiu Habib, disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Bauchi.
According to him, the operation followed a complaint lodged on June 10 by a resident of Gida Dudu Housing Estate in Bauchi who reported that his four-year-old son, Musa, had been abducted from his residence.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the first suspect, Muhammad Usman, a 39-year-old, allegedly lured the child from his home on June 9 and took him to the residence of the second suspect, Hayatudeen Ahmad, both residents of the same estate.
Police said Usman allegedly misled Ahmad by claiming that the boy was his sister’s son and that the child’s mother was critically ill. He reportedly told Ahmad it was too late to travel to Kano that night and requested that the child be allowed to stay overnight, promising to take him to family members in Kano the following day.
It was further discovered that the suspect allegedly wrote a ransom note and dropped it at the complainant’s residence, demanding N5 million and providing a phone number through which the payment could be arranged.
Habib said detectives immediately launched an operation after receiving the complaint, tracked the suspects and raided the residence of the second suspect, where the victim was found alive and in good health.
The child has since been reunited with his family.
Both suspects are currently in police custody and are cooperating with investigators. The police command said investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing, after which the suspects will be charged in court.
The commissioner of police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, warned that anyone involved in kidnapping or related criminal activities would face the full weight of the law.
He urged parents and guardians to educate their children on the dangers of interacting with strangers, remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to the nearest police station.
