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The Niger State Police Command says a 29-year-old man allegedly contracted kidnappers to abduct and kill a large-scale farmer in Zawudna village, Munya Local Government Area, before taking over the deceased’s farmland.

The police said the suspect, identified as Godwin Yahaya, was arrested following allegations by recently rescued kidnapping victims that he conspired with suspected kidnappers to abduct the farmer, Jonah Isah, and others for ransom.

In a crime bulletin issued on Saturday, October 10, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) attached to the Kuchi area arrested Yahaya on September 27 and handed him over to the Sarkin-Pawa Police Division for investigation.

According to the police, the suspect allegedly confessed during interrogation that he contracted a man identified as Bashiru, who is currently at large, in 2024 to abduct Isah so they could demand ransom and share the proceeds.

The police said the plan was not carried out until June 26, 2026, when Bashiru and members of his gang allegedly invaded Zawudna village at about midnight.

The attackers reportedly entered the farmer’s residence, killed him and abducted members of his family alongside three other persons.

The abductors subsequently demanded a ransom of N2.1 million before releasing the victims, who allegedly told investigators that their captors identified Yahaya as the person who contracted them to carry out the operation.

Further police investigation reportedly revealed that after Isah’s death, the suspect allegedly took over the deceased’s farmland for his personal use.

The police said Yahaya is currently undergoing further investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna, while efforts are ongoing to arrest Bashiru and other suspected members of the gang.

Police arrest three over transformer cable vandalism

In a related development, the police said they had arrested three suspects in separate incidents involving the alleged vandalism and theft of armoured cables from electricity transformer installations in Niger State.

The first suspect, Mubarak Tanko, 25, was arrested by operatives of the Sarkin-Pawa Division, in collaboration with community members, at about 3:30 a.m. on October 2.

The police said Tanko was found with a vandalised armoured cable and allegedly confessed to cutting the cable at a community transformer with a modified cutlass, intending to sell it to scrap dealers.

The cable and the modified cutlass were recovered as exhibits, while the suspect was transferred to the SCID for further investigation and prosecution.

In another incident, two suspects, Abubakar Aliyu, 27, and Mustapha Zakari, 22, both residents of the Barkin-Sale area of Minna, were arrested following a report of transformer cable vandalism.

According to the police, the incident occurred at about 2 a.m. on October 6 at a transformer installation in Barkin-Sale, where armoured cables valued at more than N700,000 were allegedly vandalised and stolen.

The suspects reportedly confessed to the offence during interrogation, stating that they intended to sell the cables to scavengers and scrap dealers.

The police said the recovered exhibits were being held as investigations continued.

SP Abiodun reiterated the command’s commitment to tackling kidnapping, violent crime, vandalism and other criminal activities across the state.