Crime
Borno Kidnap Victims’ Families Sell Houses in Desperation Over Possible Ransom Demands
Relatives of some of the 52 kidnapped residents of Borno State have resorted to selling their houses in anticipation of ransom demands by the kidnappers.The victims were kidnapped by gunmen from different parts of the state on April 15.The spokesperson for the families of the victims, Hassan Yati, said that one of the relatives whose two sons were kidnapped had been defrauded of N1.5m out of the N3m demanded by individuals posing as the abductors.He said the family later discovered that the actual terrorists had neither demanded the money nor authorised anyone to collect ransom on their behalf.Yati added that the incident had compounded the financial burden on families already struggling to cater to their children.He also revealed that a woman whose only daughter was kidnapped had sold her family house in the Biu Local Government Area of the state.“Initially, we thought it was money the kidnappers wanted. One of the parents with only daughter kidnapped told me she sold her family house in Biu in anticipation, only to hear otherwise.“Even me, I put our family house up for sale, but no one is talking to us again,” he stated.Yati said he decided to sell his family house because his younger brother and his wife were among those abducted on April 15.
He explained that he had been under pressure from other relatives of the victims, who accused him of withholding information about efforts to secure the release of their loved ones.“The rest of the parents bombard me with calls and messages. They now accuse me of hiding information,” he said.Yati said efforts to get the attention of the government had so far yielded no result, leaving the families to endure what he described as prolonged silence from the authorities.A parent who sold her house, Monday Bako, expressed frustration, saying her daughter was kidnapped on January 13.Bako, a food vendor, said, “They kidnapped my daughter since 13th of January till today. I have no idea of where they are and who held her captive. We have not heard anything about her and others abducted in our community.“I later sold my house to raise money in case we hear any information. We thought they would demand ransom but unfortunately, nothing has been demanded.”Another relative, whose wife and three-month-old baby are in the terrorists’ den, appealed to the government to expedite action towards their release.“We are tired of waiting. We are dying in silence. Our appeal to the government is for them to come to our aid,” the source said.
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The Police Command in Enugu State has arrested 14 kidnap suspects through intelligence-led operations, which busted major kidnapping syndicates operating in the state.
Police recovered some items, which included: five AK-47 rifles, two pump-action guns; one locally-fabricated firearm, 310 rounds of live 7.62 x 39mm ammunition; eight live cartridges and seven AK-47 empty magazines.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Giwa, disclosed this during a press briefing on Friday in Enugu on the recent successes recorded by the command in the state against coordinated syndicates of kidnap gangs.
The commissioner said that recently, in separate joint operations, security operatives rescued kidnapped victims at Ogbozara Community in Nsukka LGA and Owukpa Community in Ogbadibo LGA of Benue State, with several exhibits, including live ammunition, recovered.
According to him, most recently, one of the victims abducted from a Church at Inoyi, Affa Community in Udi LGA, was rescued on Aug. 2.
“A joint, intelligence-led operations subsequently led to the rescue of the remaining two victims, the arrest of three suspects, the neutralisation of one suspect, and the recovery of ransom money, firearms, ammunition and other incriminating exhibits.
“Further intelligence-led operations by the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Violent Crime Response Unit (AK-VCRU) led to the arrest of two additional male suspects linked to the Affa Church kidnapping.
“The duo, who fled to Port Harcourt following the operational pressure mounted by joint security operatives, were traced and arrested in Port Harcourt and brought back to Enugu.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that after fleeing Enugu, the suspects regrouped with their cohorts in Port Harcourt and abducted another victim, who was released after a ransom of ₦5 million was paid,” he said.
The commissioner said that in a sustained offensive against kidnapping and other violent crimes, 12 additional suspects were earlier arrested through human and technical intelligence-led operations conducted in different parts of the country.
He said that the suspects were arrested on various dates in June, July and August 2026 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, Kwara and Taraba States.
Giwa said investigation indicated the suspects are members of an organised criminal network operating from different parts of the country, adding they converge in Enugu State to plan and execute kidnapping operations before returning to their respective locations.
He said that the network was aided by an Enugu-based member, who operates a tricycle and provides transportation for the gang members, their firearms and other criminal implements to and from operational locations.
The state police boss said that another Enugu-based member provides intelligence that enables the gang to evade security surveillance and identify suitable targets and locations.
“The suspects have, during interrogation, confessed to involvement in several recent and past kidnapping incidents across Enugu State, including along Enugu–Ugwuogo–Opi–Nsukka Road; Obioma–9th Mile–Umulumgbe–Okpatu Road; Eke–Affa–Egede–Ezinze axis; and various locations in Ezeagu LGA.
“Specifically, preliminary investigation has linked the suspects to the following armed kidnapping incidents: The abduction of a male victim at Mgbabuowa/Aguobuowa, Ezeagu LGA, on May 25 during which ₦5.5 million was obtained as ransom.
“The abduction of two male victims and the shooting and murder of a female victim at Obioma, Udi LGA, on May 9 during which the gang obtained twenty-eight thousand US Dollars ($28,700) as ransom.
“The abduction of two male victims along the Eke–Ezinze Road, Udi LGA, on April 10 for which Seventy Thousand US Dollars ($70,000) was obtained as ransom.
“The kidnapping of seven victims at Obinaofia, Ezeagu LGA, on April 12 during which ₦25 million was obtained as ransom as well as other kidnapping incidents and ransom payments which the suspects disclosed during interrogation,” he said.
He said that the suspects laundered and concealed proceeds of their criminal activities through investments in livestock and different properties, lavish spending and other conspicuous consumption, as well as leisure and overseas trips.
The commissioner noted that further investigations would establish the suspects’ involvement in other kidnapping and violent-crime incidents within and outside the state, identify and arrest other members of the syndicate, and recover additional firearms, ammunition.
“The command will also recover other criminal proceeds and finally after the extensive investigations they will be charged to court in accordance with extant laws,” he added.
The incident reportedly occurred on August 12, 2026, at Gwamma Village in Bauchi Local Government Area, where the suspect was said to have allegedly laced her husband’s meal with a poisonous substance.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Nafiu Habib, said the police received a distress call at about 7:40pm from an anonymous woman in the Wunti Dada area of Bauchi.
He said operatives attached to the ‘C’ Division, Tafawa Balewa Estate, immediately responded to the report and rushed the victim to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
According to Habib, the victim was still receiving treatment and was in stable condition as of the time of the report.
He added that detectives recovered an empty bottle suspected to have contained the poisonous substance, alongside remnants of the food allegedly contaminated by the suspect.
The items, he said, had been preserved as exhibits to aid the ongoing investigation.
Following the development, the state Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, ordered that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.Law Enforcement
Habib said the suspect would be prosecuted after the completion of the investigation, while the command urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to the police.
The command’s spokesperson, Peter Aondongu, disclosed t] is while giving an update on the incident in a telephone interview on Thursday, as he noted that the baby had been recovered.
“I can confirm to you that some suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of a newborn baby in Gboko on Tuesday.
“Some of the suspects were earlier transferred to the state headquarters in Makurdi while other suspects are in police custody at Gboko division right now,” the PPRO said.
The baby, according to sources, was allegedly stolen from his mother in the hospital a few hours after he was delivered on Tuesday.
The incident reportedly attracted family members, sympathisers and other concerned persons to the hospital, creating tension within and around the facility. It was also gathered that security operatives were subsequently deployed to the healthcare centre to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
An eyewitness who craved anonymity told journalists on Wednesday that the alleged thief had been following the baby’s mother disguised as a nurse working in the hospital. According to the eyewitness, the baby was said not to be responding at the time he was born, which prompted the nurse to move the mother and the baby to a ward for further care.
The eyewitness alleged that shortly after they were moved to the ward, a woman, who camouflaged as a nurse, approached the mother and asked to examine the baby again.
It was later that they discovered that the newborn baby was missing.
“Immediately after the baby was born, the infant did not cry as expected. The nurse on duty reportedly intervened, and the newborn eventually responded normally.
“Thereafter, both the mother and the baby were taken to a ward. Not long after, an alleged child trafficker approached the mother of the newborn under the pretence of being one of the nurses.
“The suspect claimed they wanted to check the baby once again. The trafficker then took the baby from the mother and headed toward the labour room.
“Sensing something amiss, the mother-in-law who had been with her daughter-in-law followed and stood at the labour room’s entrance, but she was instructed to step back, with assurances that everything would be fine; so she complied. Shortly afterwards, the strange woman disappeared with the newborn baby,” the witness stated.
It was gathered that while searching for the baby, the nurses on duty reportedly denied taking the baby from the ward and also said the woman who allegedly presented herself as a nurse was not a member of their team.
The kidnappers of Jezco chief, Chief Sir Joseph Ezeokafor, have reportedly demanded N1.5 billion ransom for his release, after initially asking the family to pay N700 million.
A close source within the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed this, saying the kidnappers had established contact with the family following Ezeokafor’s abduction.
According to the source, the kidnappers initially demanded N700 million, a figure which the victim’s family reportedly accepted as part of efforts to secure their father’s release.
The kidnappers, however, were said to have subsequently raised their demand to N1.5 billion.
The source said the family had remained willing to negotiate with the abductors but that the kidnappers had since stopped further engagement with the family.
It was gathered that the development had left the family in a difficult position as efforts to reopen communication with the abductors had reportedly not yielded results.
The latest revelation also provides fresh details on the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the Jezco chief, which had attracted considerable concern among his associates and members of the community.
The Anambra State Police Command has, however, yet to make any official statement on the reported ransom demand. GeographicReference
When contacted, the Command’s spokesperson , Tochukwu Ikenga said he was in a meeting and asked our correspondent to send him a text message detailing the inquiry.
Our correspondent subsequently sent a text message to the police spokesperson seeking confirmation of the abduction .
As of press time, however, the message, sent about a week ago, had not received a response.
The family source did not disclose the circumstances under which the kidnappers initially made contact or why communication between both parties subsequently broke down.
The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a suspected member of a kidnapping gang, identified as Sanda Aliyu, over an alleged plan to purchase an AK-47 rifle for N1.6m in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.Aliyu was arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Section on August 3, 2026, following actionable intelligence that he was negotiating with one Aliyu Mohammed, who is currently at large, for the procurement of the firearm.The police said detectives immediately commenced an operation based on the intelligence and apprehended Aliyu before the weapon could be delivered.According to a statement issued on Thursday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the suspect admitted during interrogation that he was involved in the attempted arms transaction.“The suspect voluntarily admitted his involvement in the transaction and disclosed that N1.6 million had already been paid towards the purchase of the rifle.“He further revealed that the purpose of acquiring the firearm was to enable him rise to the position of a ‘Boss’ within his current kidnapping gang, before ultimately breaking away to establish and lead his own criminal gang,” the PPRO said.She added that investigators had commenced further verification of the transaction to establish the identities of other individuals connected with the attempted purchase and determine the extent of the criminal network.
“The ongoing investigation is expected to provide further leads into the circumstances surrounding the attempted acquisition, identify other persons connected with the illicit arms transaction, establish the full extent of the network, and unravel the broader criminal activities associated with the gang,” Ejire-Adeyemi noted.The development comes amid heightened security operations by security agencies in parts of Kwara State following a series of kidnappings and other violent crimes recorded in some communities.Reacting to the arrest, the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Ojo Adekimi, assured residents that the command would sustain its intelligence-led operations against criminal elements across the state.Adekimi, while acknowledging the strategic policing direction of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, said the command would continue to deploy its available lawful intelligence and operational resources to protect residents.“There will be no respite in the ongoing offensive against criminal elements,” the CP said.He added that the command would sustain its operations until communities across the state were sufficiently secured and residents could go about their activities without fear.The police said the suspect remains in custody as investigation continues, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend Mohammed and identify other persons allegedly connected with the attempted arms transaction.
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