The Nigeria Police Force said Sunday they have in their custody one of the gunmen who kidnapped and murdered Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar in their attempt to collect ransom money from her family.
On January 2, Nabeeha, her father and four other siblings were kidnapped from their residence. Ten other persons were also taken from Sagwari Estate Layout in the Dutsen-Alhaji area in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. The gunmen asked for a N700m ransom for the 19 victims and while waiting for response they killed four of their hostages including Nabeeha a 400-level student of Biological Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The police claimed that a suspect Bello Mohammed was nabbed in a hotel in Kaduna and he confessed to be a member of the gang that committed the crime.
“The operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, on 20th January 2024, have arrested one Bello Mohammed, 28, of Zamfara state, in Kaduna,” said the Police statement.
“The Divisional Police Officer, Tafa Division, acting on intelligence, raided one hotel in Tafa Area, Kaduna, where he arrested Bello, with the sum of #2.25m (Two Million, two hundred and fifty million naira) only, suspected to be proceeds of ransoms collected from kidnapped victims within the area.
“The suspect, during interrogation, confessed to being part of the gang that kidnapped the family members of one Barrister Ariyo in Bwari, FCT, on 2nd January 2024, and killed some kidnapped victims, including Nabeeha, f, daughter of the legal practitioner, on 13th January 2024, in a kidnappers camp, in Kaduna State.
“The suspect, in a dramatic situation, offered #1,000,000 (one million naira only) to induce the DPO, who rejected the offer and carried out his duty diligently.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has ordered that the suspect, who also confessed to the involvement of the already five (5) neutralised bandits in Kaduna by the IRT, headed by one Mai Gemu (aka Godara), whose deadly camp has also been destroyed, be handed over to the DFI-IRT in Abuja for discreet investigations into the matter and arrest of all other culprits responsible for the dastardly act. The suspect is currently helping the police in their investigations.”