Bandits Demands N100 Million Ransom For Six Police ASPs In Katsina Kidnappers’ Den

Bandits are reportedly demanding N100 million ransom for the release of six Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) who were kidnaped for over one week in Katsina State.

According to PUNCH, the ASPs were among the nine who were just promoted to their current rank, and they were attached to the Mobile Police Squadron 6, Maiduguri, Borno State.

It was gathered on Wednesday that they were demobilised from the riot unit and eight of them were on their way to the Zamfara State Police Command on transfer when they were ambushed in the Dogondaji area of Katsina and taken into the forest.

A reliable police source explained that the nine ASPs were planning to go to Zamfara together but one of them changed his mind at the last minute while the others embarked on the trip in a commercial bus.

“When they were released to go to Zamfara, they scheduled a day for the trip from Maiduguri, but one of them said he wasn’t comfortable with the trip and declined to join them. He said he had something to do and promised to join them in Zamfara later.

“So, the eight others left, but on getting to Kano, the driver said he couldn’t continue the journey to Zamfara, because his vehicle had developed a fault. They joined another vehicle and on their way around Dongodaji in Katsina State, the bandits accosted and kidnapped them.

“While being taken away, two of them escaped and one of them was shot in the leg though he didn’t die. He found himself at a village and the villagers took him to a police station and he was taken to a hospital. The other six officers are still with the bandits who are demanding N100m ransom.”

Findings indicated that the families of the missing police officers were anxious about the safety of their breadwinners following the N100m ransom demanded by the bandits.

It was learnt that the families were attempting to raise N3m for the release of the captives or N500,000 each.

When contacted, one of the officers, who escaped from the abductors, said he was too weak to recount the incident which happened on Sunday.

“I have high BP (blood pressure); I just came back from a check-up. I cannot remember everything now. The incident happened on Sunday along the Katsina-Gusau Road,” he simply said.

When newsmen visited the Mopol 6 base in Maiduguri, it was observed that police personnel were overwhelmed by the kidnap of their colleagues, which came weeks after some of their men were killed and several others injured during an attack on the convoy of the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum.

The mood in the barracks was very sober with little or no activity going on except for a few anti-riot policemen in uniform clustered in groups obviously discussing the incident.

It was gathered that some personnel of the command were recently attacked at the Bama Local Government Area of the state and the latest development had dampened the morale of the policemen.

The Force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, had yet to respond to inquiries on the incident as he did not respond to calls and SMS sent to his mobile telephone as of the time of filing in this report.

KanyiDaily had also reported how unknown gunmen kidnapped 12 Police ASPs while on their way from Borno to Zamfara, forcing their families to sell their homes and properties to raise ransom money.