Four teenagers were reportedly detained by the Yobe State Police Command for allegedly kidnapping two minors in the state’s Potiskum Local Government Area.
According to the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, the suspects tried to demand a ransom from the parents of a kidnapped 14-year-old victim in the Nahuta area before being tracked down and detained by detectives.
According to him, the suspects are: Musa Adamu, 18; Aliyu Ibrahim, 17; Abubakar Zakari, 18; and Muhammed Saleh, 19.
“The 14-year-old boy was with his sister outside their residence when he was lured and whisked away in a vehicle by the suspects on October 12.
“The suspects later demanded five million Naira as a ransom for the release of the victim, but the amount was bargained to two hundred thousand Naira by his parents”, Abdulkarim said.
The police spokesperson added that further investigation revealed that Hussaini Abdulazeez, who is currently assisting in the investigation, was the victim of identity theft because the phone number used in the negotiations was taken from him.
In a separate incident, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim said three suspects, namely: Messrs Adamu, Ibrahim, and Zakari, had, on September 8, allegedly conspired and kidnapped a four-year-old boy in the Bogojo area of Potiskum town.
He said the suspects demanded a ransom of N10 million, which the victim’s family later negotiated to N200,000.
An investigation revealed that the money was paid into the account of an unsuspecting point of sale operator (POS), who had no link with the syndicate.
He said the suspects would be prosecuted after investigations.