A 22-year-old man, Sani Dikko, has allegedly conspired with two others to kidnap his grandfather, identified as Alhaji Lawal, and collect N3 million ransom after keeping the victim in captivity for 16 days in Katsina State.
The Katsina State Police Command disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, as part of recent operational successes recorded in Dutsin-Ma and Kankia Local Government Areas.
According to the police, operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), acting on credible intelligence, arrested a three-man kidnap syndicate during a confidence-building patrol along Marabar Shema Village on September 12, 2026, at about 8:23pm.
The suspects were identified as Sani Dikko, 22, Kabir Sani, 22, and Salisu Bello, 22.
The command said preliminary investigations showed that Dikko voluntarily confessed to conspiring with the other suspects to abduct his grandfather about three weeks earlier.
It said the victim remained in captivity for 16 days before his release following the payment of N3 million ransom by his family.
The three suspects are currently in police custody as investigations continue into their alleged activities and the wider criminal network to which they may be connected.
In a related development, the police said two women abducted by suspected bandits in Sha’iskawa Fulani village, Kankia Local Government Area, were rescued unhurt following a gun battle between the attackers and police operatives.
The incident occurred at about 12:45am on September 14, when a distress call was received at the Kankia Divisional Police headquarters reporting an attack by about eight armed bandits.
The Divisional Police Officer promptly mobilised operatives to the area, where the police engaged the attackers in a gun duel.
According to the command, the superior firepower of the police forced the bandits to flee into the surrounding bush, enabling the operatives to rescue the two women safely.
The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Ali Umar Fage, commended the operatives for what he described as gallantry and professionalism, while reaffirming the command’s commitment to tackling kidnapping and banditry across the state.
He also urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to the police to facilitate prompt action against criminal elements.
