Police operatives attached to the Tafa Divisional Headquarters of Kaduna State have arrested a suspected kidnapper and recovered N2.3 million as a share of the ransom collected from victims.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday in Kaduna by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan.
He further stated that the suspect, Bello Muhammmad of Zamafara State, offered the Divisional Police Officer a bribe of N1 million to suspend further inquiry into the incident, but the officer declined.
According to him, on January 19, 2024, around 2200 hours (10 p.m.), the Divisional Headquarters received credible information concerning the presence of a suspicious person at the Easyway Hotel in Tafa town.
He stated that DPO-led operatives stormed the hotel, apprehended the culprit, 28-year-old Bello Muhammad of Zamfara State, and recovered N2,350,000, which is thought to be kidnapping profits.
He claimed that throughout the inquiry, the suspect admitted to being a kidnapper who operated with his gang around Kagarko Forest in the state (Kaduna) and that the money recovered from him was his portion of the ransom collected from victims.
Furthermore, the Hassan stated that a check of the suspect’s mobile phone confirmed his confession, since images of him displaying an AK47 gun in a forest were discovered.
“The said suspect, Bello Muhammad, thus offered a N1 million backhander to the Divisional Police Officer to stop him furthering the investigation, which the police officer forthwith rejected. The investigation is still ongoing as the suspect is providing the police with vital information.
“The Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command, A.D. Ali, while praising the Tafa Division’s operatives, urged them and others not to relent but to increase the tempo until crimes and criminality were reduced minimally.
“Equally, the CP tasked hoteliers, recreation, and leisure service operators in the state to always scrutinize the identity of their customers to avoid providing criminals with a safe haven,” the spokesperson added.
