Police Bust Kidnap Ring in Maiduguri, Rescue 7-Year-Old, Recover ₦1.5m Ransom

Police Bust Kidnap Ring in Maiduguri, Rescue 7-Year-Old, Recover ₦1.5m Ransom

By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri

The Borno State Police Command has arrested five suspected kidnappers and rescued a seven-year-old boy abducted in Maiduguri, recovering the ₦1.5 million ransom paid by the child’s family.

The command said the suspects had initially demanded ₦10 million from the victim’s family before lowering the ransom to ₦8 million. However, security operatives tracked down those involved in the abduction after the child’s mother paid ₦1.5 million.

Police spokesperson, ASP Nahum Daso, disclosed in Maiduguri that the incident was reported to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at about 3:30 p.m., shortly after the boy was kidnapped from the Chad Basin Development Authority staff quarters.

According to him, preliminary investigation indicated that the abductors contacted the victim’s mother through a concealed telephone line and issued a series of ransom demands while negotiations were ongoing.

Daso said the breakthrough came after detectives launched a digital forensic investigation into the payment trail used for the ransom.

He explained that operatives traced the Point of Sale (POS) account that received the ₦1.5 million and arrested the operator, identified as Musa Mohammed Bashir.

The police spokesman added that the arrest of the POS operator led investigators to four other suspects believed to have coordinated the kidnapping operation in the Chad Basin and Bulabulin Alajiri areas of Maiduguri.

He said the child was rescued unharmed, taken for medical examination, and later reunited with his parents.

The police also confirmed the recovery of the ₦1.5 million ransom paid by the family from the suspects.

The Commissioner of Police in Borno State, Naziru Abdulmajid, commended the detectives for what he described as a swift and professional operation.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and urged residents to remain alert and continue sharing useful information with security agencies to help tackle crime in the state.

The police said the investigation into the case is still ongoing, with further action to follow as authorities work to dismantle the suspected kidnapping network.