1 hour ago
1
The police in Niger State have arrested no fewer than nine suspects in connection with alleged self-kidnapping and unlawful business activities in the state.
The Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said that on September 2, 2025, at around 10 pm, the police received a report of a suspected kidnapping in the Mandela area of Minna.
He explained that, in addition, the command also received a call from a strange phone number requesting a ransom of N7 million.
According to him, in the course of investigation on September 3, 2025, one suspect, Suleiman Dauda, was arrested in connection with the crime and, based on interrogation, eight others were arrested in the Mandela area.
He disclosed that during a search, 21 SIM cards and 29 SIM certificates were recovered from Suleiman, who claimed that he deals in SIM card registration.
Abiodun said the suspect also admitted that the phone number and handset used to request the ransom were given to the victim by him.
The police spokesman stated that further findings revealed the suspects are from different locations within and outside the state, engaging in a fraudulent Ponzi scheme. It was also discovered that one of their cohorts arranged with the purported victim to extract ransom from their colleagues.
Investigation is ongoing with a view to locating and arresting others, while the suspects arrested have been charged in court, SP Abiodun stated.
