By Ngozi Uwujare
The Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Niger State Police Command has rescued two victims, Abdullah Umar, 5 and Rahamat Umar, 3. They were reportedly abducted by their new tenant, who sold the kids off for N250, 000.
The two suspects, who were believed to have perpetrated the dastardly act, were identified as Saviour Ebuka, 20, and Mary Peter, 25.
Niger State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ayodeji Ogunbiyi told Saturday Sun that the ugly incident occurred on October 19, 2022, when a new tenant just moved to the home of the victims’ parents in the Water Board Area of Suleja.
He said the suspects subsequently took the abducted victims to Abuja, it was gathered.
He said the victims’ family reported the case to ‘B’ Division Suleja.
The police boss said the Anti -Kidnapping Squad of the police trailed the suspects and arrested Saviour Ebuka and Mary Peter at Tunga- Maje via Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory on January 20, 2023 and February 18, 2023 respectively.
CP Ogunbiyi said it was during interrogation that Saviour Ebuka confessed to have conspired with two women – Ifeoma and Patience, both presently at large, to perpetrate the kidnapping act. Saviour said the buyer promised them N250, 000 each, but had only paid Patience while Ifeoma was yet to be paid.
The Niger CP said the children were abducted and taken to Ifeoma who he said owns an illegal orphanage home called Famous Kids Home. He said Ifeoma later left the place for an unknown destination and transferred the children to another person.
The commissioner said the police operatives intensified efforts in their investigation and later identified one Chinwe Egwu, 49, in the Lugbe area of Abuja as the illegal custodian of the children.
He said the police team went to Lugbe where Chinwe was arrested on March 13, 2023. He said she was found to be in charge of another orphanage, Adorable Orphanage Home, where seven children were rescued, including the two abducted children Abdullahi Umar and Rahamat Umar, three years old.
He said the other five children were immediately handed over to the Social Welfare Department of the FCT.
He explained that three other children who were abducted from different locations in Suleja and Tafa were equally rescued from Chinwe on March 14, 2023.
The police boss explained further that in another development, police operatives attached to FIB Tactical Squad arrested suspected kidnappers – Umar Aliyu, 35, of Diri-Ndaji in Kebbi State and Mohammed Abubakar, 25, of Peregi in Kogi State at Kure Market Park during an attempt to board a commercial vehicle to Kebbi.
In a chat with Saturday Sun, the suspect, Umar Aliyu said he participated in kidnapping activities at Sakaba in Kebbi State last year but that he later relocated to Angwan-Kuka Area of Bosso, Minna.
“I contacted my gang member, Mohammed Abubakar from Kogi State, and we met at Sakaba and we moved to Minna to proceed to Kebbi for a possible kidnapping.
“Mohammed came to Minna with an AK 47 rifle. We were planning to get more arms and more gang members to assist in the operation when we were arrested by police operatives and they recovered one AK 47 rifle with 13 rounds of life ammunitions from us,” he said.