By Jelili Gbadamosi
The Sokoto State Police Command has rescued a 10-year-old boy allegedly abducted in Tangaza Local Government Area and arrested suspects in connection with separate kidnapping incidents across the state.
The rescued boy, identified as Muhammad Sufiyanu, was found inside a concealed sack after police officers intercepted two men riding a motorcycle in Gidan Madi Town at about 11 pm on August 11.
According to the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufai, the boy had earlier been reported missing by his uncle, Sani Ibrahim, at the Gidan Madi Police Station.
Police said the two men fled after officers challenged them, abandoning the sack, which was subsequently found to contain the boy, alive and responsive.
Sufiyanu was taken to Gidan Madi General Hospital for treatment and later discharged.
The police said the boy told investigators that one of the suspects allegedly lured him 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 investigators have also visited the area.
In a separate 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.
His arrest, according to the police, followed credible intelligence, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the alleged syndicate still at large.
Commissioner of Police Hayatu Hassan Shaffa commended the officers involved in the operations and urged residents to provide security agencies with timely and credible information.
The command said investigations into both cases were ongoing.
