By Halimah Olamide
A member of the kidnap syndicate that kidnapped and killed Nabeeha Kadriya and others in Abuja has been captured by the police.
The police headquarters said on Sunday that the kidnapper, after being arrested in Kaduna attempted to flee by offering a sum of N1m bribe to the Divisional Police Officer who led the operation for his arrest.
In a statement released by the force headquarters on Sunday, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, spokesman explained that on 20th January 2024, operatives arrested one Bello Mohammed, 28, of Zamfara state, in Kaduna.
“The Divisional Police Officer, Tafa Division, acting on intelligence, raided one hotel in Tafa Area, Kaduna, where he arrested Bello, with the sum of #2.25m (Two Million, two hundred and fifty million naira) only, suspected to be proceeds of ransoms collected from kidnapped victims within the area,” he said
He said the suspect, during interrogation, confessed to be 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, f, daughter of the legal practitioner, on 13th January, 2024, in a kidnappers camp, in Kaduna State.
He revealed, “The suspect, in a dramatic situation, offered #1,000,000 (one million naira only) to induce the DPO, who rejected the offer and carried out his duty diligently.”
He said Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has ordered that the suspect, who also confessed to the involvement of the already five (5) 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.” He added
Adejobi said police boss commended the DPO Tafa, SP Idris Ibrahim, for the commitment and professionalism displayed in the case, assuring that the Police would leave no stone unturned in decimating criminally minded individuals in the country.