Tobias Sylvester
Katsina State Police Command has arrested a 22- year old cripple, Buhari Haruna, for the attempted kidnapping of one Hamisu Salisu of Kankia Local Government Area of the state.
The Command spokesman, SP Gambo Isah, who disclosed this while parading the suspect on Monday said the cripple was arrested on Tuesday after he had collected ransom from one of his victims he had threatened to kidnap if he refused to pay the said ransom.
“The Katsina Police Command have succeeded in arresting a person with a special need who turned himself into a kidnapper and demanded for a ransom of N2 million.
“It may interest you to know that this gentleman here, Buhari Haruna is 22 years and from Kankia LGA of Katsina State.
“On 20 August, he sent a threat message to one Hamisu Salisu, who is also from Kankia LGA and demanded for the ransom N2 million or risk being kidnapped.
“In the course of investigation, the victim reported to the Kankia Police Division where preliminary investigation led to the arrest of this suspect.
“The fact of this case was that the police advised the victim to comply with the instructions of the suspect and he made mention of a place where the N2 million ransom was to be taken to him.
“We planned and successfully took the money to the location and after we dropped the money with our men hanging around the area, fortunately enough we saw this gentleman crawling and he went and took the ran some money. Then our men rounded him up and he was arrested,” Gambo said.
When interrogated, Buhari confessed to the crime saying, “It’s true; I ordered the victim to pay me a ransom of N2m or risked being kidnapped. I was counting the money when the police swooped on me and arrested me.”
SP Gambo noted that this would make the third time a cripple would be involved in the case of kidnapping and banditry-related offence.
He advised family of kidnapped victims to thread with caution and avoid panicking and rushing to pay ransom as criminals are now taking advantage of the prevalent security challenges in the state to extort people of their hard-earned money.
