Police arrest six kidnapping suspects in Katsina, recover N7.5m ransom

The Katsina State Police Command says it has arrested six members of a seven-man kidnapping gang accused of abducting an eight-year-old boy in Katsina city and recovered N7.5 million believed to be part of the ransom paid by the victim’s family.

Police spokesperson DSP Abubakar Sadiq disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, saying one suspect identified as Abdul is still on the run.

According to the statement, the boy was kidnapped on May 13, 2026, while returning from an Islamic school.

“The following day, the suspects contacted the family and demanded N50,000,000 ransom. Following negotiations, N17,000,000 was paid to secure the release of the victim,” the police said.

The command explained that officers from the newly created Violent Crime Response Unit tracked down and arrested six suspects on May 23 after receiving intelligence.

Police identified the suspects as Nura Aliyu, said to be the mastermind and a neighbour of the victim’s family, alongside Abubakar Aminu, Ibrahim Muhammad, Iliyasu Sani, Abubakar Muhammad, and Abdullahi Isma’il.

The statement added, “While interrogating the suspects, they confessed to the commission of the offence and mentioned one Abdul, currently at large, as their accomplice.”

Police also said they recovered a Peugeot 307 car, a Boxer motorcycle, and N7.5 million suspected to be part of the ransom money.

Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Ali Umar Fage, praised the officers involved in the operation and assured residents that the command would continue efforts to combat kidnapping and violent crime in the state.