Two men have been arrested by the Niger State Police Command for allegedly kidnapping and killing a 10-year-old boy in Mariga Local Government Area.
The command also apprehended three suspected motorcycle thieves in a separate operation in Kontagora.
Police spokesman SP Wasiu Abiodun, in a statement on Wednesday, said the incident began on July 24 when young Yaseer Mustapha of Kwana-Mariga was abducted.
His guardian, who was at the farm during the attack, was contacted for ransom.
“After much negotiation, the guardian was able to raise ₦100,000, which he paid into an account provided by the abductors. A month later, he was asked to pay an additional ₦10,000 to one Abdulmajid Dan-Azumi, without any word from the hoodlums afterwards,” Abiodun explained.
The matter was eventually reported to the police in September and transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the SCID. Investigations led to the arrest of Abdulmajid Dan-Azumi, 32, whose confession resulted in the arrest of his accomplice, 18-year-old Abdulnafiu Usman.
“The suspects confessed to the crime, and unfortunately, they killed the boy and buried him in an uncompleted building within the neighbourhood. The operatives were led to the scene, where the decomposed body was recovered and later released to the family for burial,” Abiodun said.
He added that the two suspects had been charged to court for prosecution.
In a separate development, a police patrol team in Kontagora intercepted two men on September 23 along Kontagora–Yauri Road near Mararaba Junction.
“The officers flagged down the suspects, who refused to stop, but were chased and eventually arrested. A spot search on them led to the recovery of dismantled parts of a Bajaj motorcycle concealed in a sack,” Abiodun stated.
The suspects, identified as Jibril Musa, 24, and Ahmed Tiamiyu, both of Kontagora, later confessed to the theft and named an accomplice, Elijah Ochoba, 20, who dismantled the bike.
“All three suspects have been arrested and remain in custody under investigation,” the statement confirmed.