Kidnappers murder 12-year-old boy after collecting ransom in Plateau

The Plateau State Police Command has arrested a gang of four kidnappers who conspired to murder a 12-year-old boy after collecting a ransom of N150,000 from his family.  

In a separate operation, the police also apprehended three other suspected kidnappers and recovered an AK-45 rifle along with other assorted weapons.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, the Commissioner of Police, CP Emmanuel Oluwagbemiga Adesina, revealed that the command received a report from one Abdullahi Abubakar on January 16, 2025, regarding his missing 12-year-old son.

According to him, on the same day, he was informed by his daughter that she received a WhatsApp message from a strange number, informing her that her brother was in their custody, and further demanded the sum of One Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N1,250,000.00k) as ransom for his release.

“After much negotiation, the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150,000.00k) only was deposited into an account sent to them by the kidnappers as ransom for the release of the victim.

After collecting ransom from the victim’s family, the kidnappers sent another WhatsApp message to his sister through a different phone number, informing her that they had released her brother to their neighbor, one Haruna Adamu aka Baban Amir, who carried him in his green Honda vehicle.”

He stated that while trying to confront the said Haruna Adamu, an angry mob interrupted the process and attempted to destroy the vehicle, but prompt intervention from men of the Nassarawa Gwong division of the police saved the situation, and the suspect was quickly rescued and arrested.

“The Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU) extended the investigation into the matter and arrested ten other suspects.

“Further investigation revealed that Isiyaka Umar, Zaharadeen Muhammed, Mubarak Nura, and Ismail Auwal were the ones who criminally conspired, kidnapped the victim, and killed him after collecting the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150,000.00) from the victim’s family.

“The WhatsApp numbers used to message the victim’s sister were tracked, and the analysis revealed one Mohammed Abdullahi Inuwa, an Airtel Registration Agent, who later confessed to having conspired with one Abdulbasit Abdulhamid and agreed to create WhatsApp accounts with several numbers, and without the consent of the owners of the SIM cards, further sold them to Musa Ahmed Bello, who was actively used to chat with the victim’s sister.”

The Commissioner of Police disclosed that the case is currently under investigation, adding that the suspects will be charged in court upon conclusion of the investigation.