Key Points

• Police trace ransom call and arrest 25-year-old suspect

• Officers rescue the four-year-old boy unharmed in Fakai

• Investigators link the abduction to a dispute between the women

The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested 25-year-old Maryam Muhammad over the abduction of her friend’s four-year-old son, Abdulmumini Surajo.

Officers took her into custody after tracing a phone number used to demand a N5 million ransom.

The boy disappeared on November 26. A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, shared the case on X and explained that the child’s father received a call from an unknown female voice soon after the disappearance.

The caller demanded payment before the boy would be released.

Detectives traced that call to Muhammad, who lives in the same area as the victim’s family.

Child Found Unharmed

Makama noted that officers rescued the child on November 29 around 6.08 p.m. in Mahuta, located in Fakai Local Government Area. The child was unharmed. He had been kept at the location where police found him.

The analyst also reported that Muhammad confessed to the abduction during questioning.

Police Confirm Motive

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the arrest. He explained that investigators learned the suspect acted after a dispute with the child’s mother. The police spokesperson said the case remains under investigation.

Kidnapping Cases Rise in the State

The arrest comes during a wave of kidnappings across Kebbi and other northern states. In another incident, armed men entered a school in the Maga area on November 17.

Two staff members died during the attack and 25 students were taken. The students were later released.