The Sokoto State Police Command has rescued a 10-year-old boy allegedly abducted in Tangaza Local Government Area and arrested suspects linked to separate kidnapping activities across the state.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said the boy, identified as Muhammad Sufiyanu, was rescued after police intercepted two men on a motorcycle in Gidan Madi Town at about 11 pm on August 11.
Rufai said the men fled after officers challenged them, abandoning a concealed sack which was later found to contain the boy, alive and responsive.
According to the police, Sufiyanu had earlier been reported missing by his uncle, Sani Ibrahim, at the Gidan Madi Police Station.
The boy was taken to Gidan Madi General Hospital for medical attention and was later discharged.
Police said preliminary investigation indicated that one of the suspects allegedly lured the boy into a room, injected him with a sedative and forced him into the sack.
One suspect has been arrested and is assisting investigators, while crime scene officers have visited the area as investigations continue.
In another operation, police arrested Abdullahi Buba, also known as “Osho”, during a raid on a suspected criminal hideout in Tudun Doki Village, Gwadabawa Local Government Area, on August 8.
The command said Buba was allegedly a member of a kidnapping syndicate operating in parts of the state and was involved in kidnappings and the collection of illegal levies from communities in Gwadabawa, Kware and Gada local government areas.
Police said his arrest followed credible intelligence and that he was also assisting investigators in efforts to apprehend other suspected members of the syndicate who remain at large.
Commissioner of Police Hayatu Hassan Shaffa commended the officers involved in the operations and urged residents to continue providing security agencies with timely and credible information.
The command said investigations into the cases were ongoing.
