The Sokoto State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers, including a member of a notorious kidnapping syndicate, in separate operations across the state. The command also rescued a 10-year-old boy, Muhammad Sufiyanu, who was allegedly kidnapped in Gidan Madi Town, Tangaza Local Government Area of the state. According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit arrested Abdullahi Buba, alias “Osho,” on August 8, 2026, during a raid on a criminal hideout in Tudun Doki Village, Gwadabawa LGA. The operation, conducted at about 2pm following credible intelligence, led to the arrest of the suspect. The police said preliminary interrogation indicated that Buba was a member of a syndicate allegedly involved in a series of kidnappings and the imposition of illegal levies on communities in Gwadabawa, Kware and Gada LGAs. The command added that the suspect was providing information to assist operatives in tracking and arresting other fleeing members of the syndicate. In a separate operation, the police said a 10-year-old boy, Muhammad Sufiyanu, was rescued after his uncle, Sani Ibrahim of Gidan Madi Town, reported his disappearance at Gidan Madi Police Station on August 11. The boy was said to have gone missing at about 2pm that day. At about 11pm, surveillance detectives from the Gidan Madi Division, accompanied by the complainant, intercepted two persons on a motorcycle carrying a concealed sack. The suspects reportedly fled when challenged, but were pursued and abandoned the sack. The police said the boy was found inside the sack, alive and responsive. He was immediately taken to Gidan Madi General Hospital, where he received treatment and was later discharged. The victim reportedly told the police that one of the suspects lured him into a room, injected him with a sedative and forced him into the sack. The command said one suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident and had confessed to the alleged crime, adding that crime scene investigators had visited the scene. It said investigations into the incidents were ongoing. The Commissioner of Police, CP Hayatu Hassan Shaffa, commended the officers involved in the operations and urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies. He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state. Editor’s note: This picture was used for illustration.
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