Police Nab Three Suspected Kidnappers Six Days After Collecting N10m Ransom
The Edo State Police Command has apprehended three suspected kidnappers just six days after they allegedly received a N10 million ransom for the release of their victims.
According to reports, the suspects collected the ransom to free Sunday Ajibola and his mother-in-law.
In a statement issued in Benin City, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, identified the suspects as Adamu Usman, Iliyasu Abubakar, and Safiyanu Mohammed.
Yamu revealed that during a preliminary investigation, one of the recovered SIM cards was traced to Ajibola Sunday of Igbirra Camp in Auchi. Upon being contacted and invited to the station, Ajibola identified the suspects as part of an eight-man gang responsible for his and his mother-in-law’s abduction.
He further disclosed that the victims were kidnapped on March 11, 2025, and their families paid N10 million to secure their release.
The suspects were arrested on March 16, 2025, at UBA Junction in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area, during a routine stop-and-search operation by operatives of the Auchi Division in collaboration with vigilantes.
Yamu stated that Adamu Usman of Hausa Quarters was caught after officers pursued a group of young men who fled upon sighting the police, while his accomplices initially escaped. The other two suspects were later apprehended during the investigation.
A spot search led to the recovery of N1,345,100 in cash, suspected to be proceeds from the ransom, along with five SIM cards, a machete, a dagger, two mobile phones, and a pack of cigarettes.
