Mansir Hassan, spokesperson of the command disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Kaduna.
He said police operatives attached to Police Divisional Headquarters Tafa, Kaduna, Kaduna state arrested the suspected kidnapper and recovered his share of ransom money.
According to the police spokesperson, the suspect offered a bribe of N1 million to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), to free himself, but it was rejected.
Hassan said, “On the 19th January, 2024 at about 2200 hours the Divisional Headquarters in Tafa received credible information regarding the presence of a suspicious person in Easyway Hotel in Tafa town.”
According to the statement, operatives of the police division led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) stormed the hotel and arrested 28 years old Bello Muhammad, from Zamfara state and recovers the sum of N2,350, 000 suspected to be proceeds of kidnapping.
“During the course of investigation the suspect admitted to being a kidnapper who operates with his gang around Kagarko forest in Kaduna.
“The aforementioned sum is his own share of a ransom collected. Moreover, a check on his mobile phone corroborated the suspect’s confession as pictures of him brandishing an AK47 rifle in a forest were retrieved.
“The said suspect Bello Muhammad thus, offered N1m backhander to the DPO to stop him furthering the investigation which the Police Officer forthwith rejected, the statement said.
Hassan said, “Investigations are still ongoing as the suspect is assisting the Police with vital information.
“The Commissioner of Police Kaduna State Command, CP A.D Ali, while praising the Tafa Division’s Operatives, urged them and others not to dwindle but to increase the tempo until crime and criminality are reduced minimally.
“Equally, the CP tasked hoteliers, recreation and leisure service operators in the state to always scrutinise the identity of their customers to avoid providing criminals with safe haven.”
By John Shiklam in Kaduna
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