Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Yobe State Command, have arrested four suspects over an alleged abduction and fraud scheme and rescued a victim in Potiskum, the police said on Tuesday.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed this in a statement issued in Damaturu, explaining that officers from the Potiskum Divisional Police Headquarters acted on credible intelligence to intercept a suspicious Toyota Prado SUV on February 16 at about 10:30 p.m.
The operation led to the rescue of Abdulhamid Garba, 35, a resident of the Nayi-Nawa area of Damaturu, who was reportedly being conveyed toward Potiskum after being abducted.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly abducted the victim in Damaturu while posing as security operatives. They reportedly accused him of graft-related offences in a bid to unlawfully detain, intimidate, and extort money from him.
“The suspects forcefully conveyed the victim in a hired vehicle before they were intercepted and arrested,” Abdulkarim said.
The arrested suspects were identified as Mohammed Usman (32), Kabiru Ibrahim Umar (42), Idriss Abdullahi Zakaria (27), and Matthew Obata (21).
Police investigations further indicated that the suspects allegedly specialised in defrauding unsuspecting members of the public, particularly merchants, by disguising as security personnel. They reportedly claimed to be staff of Transworld Private Security Guard, Kano.
Abdulkarim added that the suspects allegedly hired the Toyota Prado SUV from a Kano-based company for ₦400,000 and concealed the vehicle’s registration number to evade detection. They were also accused of demanding a ₦10 million ransom from the victim’s relatives.
The suspects were arrested at A.U. Kaifayi Filling Station along the Potiskum–Kano Road in Potiskum Local Government Area.
The victim was rescued unharmed and taken to the Yobe State Specialist Hospital, Potiskum, for medical examination.
Abdulkarim said the suspects had confessed to the crime and remained in police custody, while investigations were ongoing.
Commending the officers for their professionalism, the Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ado, reassured residents of the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property. He also urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.
