Bandits Kidnap Nine From Niger Village, Police Rescue Four

The bandits attacked the village in the early hours of the morning, according to the Police Public Relations Officer, Niger Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun.

He said the police were, however, on the trail of the attackers and swung into action after being alerted about the attack.

“At about 05:20 hours, armed bandits attacked Kuti Village, via Sarkin Pawa in Munya Local Government Area where about nine persons were abducted,” he said at a press briefing in Minna, the Niger State capital on Saturday.

“Meanwhile, the police tactical team supported by vigilante members were drafted to this area and as a result of the sustained pressure, four victims were rescued unhurt while the teams are still on the trail of the hoodlums to rescue the remaining victims.”

The police urged the people to keep providing information and tips to aid operatives in effectively carrying out their duties.

“The Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, CP Bala Kuryas, commended Nigerlites for giving such useful intelligence for proactiveness in ensuring the protection of life and property while urging them to sustain these efforts as security is a collective responsibility,” Abiodun said.

During the briefing, the police paraded some suspects including a 40-year-old man believed to be a kidnap kingpin.

The man, identified as Bashiru Abdullahi, was arrested in Kontagora Local Government Area of the state.

Abiodun said he was arrested around 4:30 pm on July 14 by the police tactical team attached to the Minna Area command while trying “to recruit armed men needed to perpetrate his usual kidnapping escapades”.

During interrogation, the suspect confessed to his involvement in the kidnapping and that he was planning to kidnap a former local government chairman for N10m.

The police PRO said Abdullahi “claimed that the former chairman owed him about N5.8 million and that if the former chairman was kidnapped, he intended to collect N10 million as ransom from him.

“He further confessed that part of his plan was to equally kidnap the father of the former Commissioner whom he owes about one million, three hundred thousand naira (N1,300,000) from a business transaction between them while he was expecting to get fifteen million naira ransom from the plan.”