The Nigerian police have arrested a suspected kidnapper who was allegedly involved in the abduction and murder of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a 400-level student of Biological Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

The suspect, identified as Bello Mohammed, 28, of Zamfara state, was apprehended in a hotel raid in Kaduna on January 20th with N2.25 million in cash, believed to be part of the ransoms collected from his victims.

Mohammed confessed to being a member of a notorious kidnapping gang that terrorized the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, where they kidnapped 19 people from the Sagwari Estate Layout on January 2nd.

The kidnappers demanded N700 million for the release of nine of their hostages but killed four of them, including Nabeeha and 13-year-old Folashade Ariyo, when their families could not pay.

DPO Rejects Bribe Offer

The Divisional Police Officer, Tafa Division, SP Idris Ibrahim, who led the operation that nabbed Mohammed, said he acted on intelligence and traced the suspect to a hotel in Tafa area, Kaduna.

He said Mohammed offered him a bribe of N1 million to let him go, but he refused and arrested him.

“The suspect, during interrogation, confessed to being part of the gang that kidnapped the family members of one Barrister Ariyo in Bwari, FCT, on 2nd January 2024, and killed some kidnapped victims, including Nabeeha, daughter of the legal practitioner, on 13th January 2024, in a kidnappers camp, in Kaduna State,” Ibrahim said in a statement.

He added that Mohammed also implicated five other bandits who were already killed by the police in Kaduna, and whose camp was destroyed.

IGP Commends DPO, Vows to End Kidnapping

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, praised the DPO for his professionalism and integrity and ordered that Mohammed be transferred to the IRT in Abuja for further investigation and prosecution.

He also assured the public that the police would not relent in their efforts to decimate criminally minded individuals and ensure the security of lives and property in the country.

“The IGP has ordered that the suspect, who also confessed to the involvement of the already five neutralized bandits in Kaduna by the IRT, headed by one Mai Gemu (aka Godara), whose deadly camp has also been destroyed, be handed over to the DFI-IRT in Abuja for discreet investigations into the matter and arrest of all other culprits responsible for the dastardly act. The suspect is currently helping the police in their investigations,” the statement noted.

The IGP conveyed his condolences to the families of the slain victims and encouraged them to remain hopeful that justice would be served.

Source: Punch