By ABC News Nigeria
The Katsina State Police Command has uncovered a suspected child-kidnapping syndicate accused of targeting children below the age of five, rescuing a three-year-old boy unharmed and arresting four suspects, including a 16-year-old boy.
The operation followed investigations into two separate kidnapping cases involving young children, with detectives linking both incidents to the same criminal network through technical analysis.
According to a police statement issued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, the investigation began after a father, Abubakar Ahmed Rufa’i, reported the abduction of his four-and-a-half-year-old son, Muhammed Abubakar.
Rufa’i reported the incident to the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Katsina, on October 5, saying his son had been kidnapped on September 30.
The abductors reportedly contacted him by telephone and initially demanded a ransom of ₦5 million before reducing their demand to ₦20,000 as feeding money for the child ahead of his release.
The money was paid through Point-of-Sale (POS) accounts, prompting police operatives to trace the transactions and arrest two POS operators, identified as Abubakar Muntari and Aminu Idris.
Second Abduction Exposes Suspected Link
While investigations into the first case were ongoing, the police received another report on October 8 from Abdulrahaman Bello, who said his three-year-old son, Yakubu Abdulrahman, had gone missing.
Bello also reported receiving telephone calls from the abductors demanding ransom, alongside an additional ₦100,000 described as feeding money for the child.
Detectives subsequently linked the two incidents and launched an operation to apprehend those involved.
At about 10:15 p.m. on October 8, operatives arrested a 16-year-old suspect, Abdulhakim Mustapha, at a POS terminal while he was allegedly attempting to collect the money.
The police said the two previously arrested POS operators identified Mustapha as the person who had collected the feeding money in the first kidnapping case before the four-and-a-half-year-old victim was released.
During interrogation, Mustapha reportedly confessed to his involvement and led detectives to the location where the three-year-old boy was being held.
The operation resulted in the successful rescue of Yakubu, who was found unharmed.
Suspected Accomplice Arrested
The police also arrested Aminu Musa, 20, at the hideout.
According to the Command, Musa allegedly kept watch over the abducted child while coordinating ransom negotiations.
Detectives also recovered the SIM card reportedly used to communicate with the victims’ families and negotiate ransom payments.
The suspects reportedly named two other alleged gang members, identified only as Ibrahim and Mohammed, popularly known as Malam, who are currently at large.
The Command said investigations were continuing, with efforts underway to arrest the fleeing suspects and identify other possible accomplices.
CP Warns Criminals Targeting Children
The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Ali Umar Fage, psc(+), mnips, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to tackle criminal activities targeting children and other vulnerable persons.
He also urged POS operators and other financial service providers to strengthen customer identification procedures and promptly report suspicious transactions to the nearest police station.
The police said the arrests and rescue operation formed part of ongoing efforts to protect residents and bring those responsible for criminal activities to justice.
The Command urged members of the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could assist ongoing investigations.
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