Kano Police Command Arrests Suspected Kidnapper, Rescues 18-Month-Old Baby

The Kano Police Command has announced the arrest of a 22-year-old suspected kidnapper, Zakariyya Muhammad, just 16 hours after the abduction of an 18-month-old baby.

In a statement released by the Police Command’s spokesman, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, Muhammad was apprehended on Thursday following a report from a resident who relayed that the victim’s father had informed him of the incident.

The suspect had demanded a N2 million ransom for the baby’s release.

The statement detailed that on July 4, 2024, at around 4 pm, a resident of Sabuwar Gandu Kwarin Barka Quarters, Kano, reported receiving a phone call from an unknown person claiming to have kidnapped his 2½-year-old daughter, Amina, and demanding a N2 million ransom.

Upon receiving this information, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Salman Dogo Garba, mobilized a team from the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, led by SP Aliyu Muhammad Auwal, to rescue the victim within 24 hours and arrest the suspect.

The operatives swiftly took action, and through sustained efforts and intelligence-led operations, they arrested the suspect, Zakariyya Muhammad, of Sabuwar Gandu Kwarin Barka Quarters, on July 5, 2024, at 8 am, just 16 hours after the kidnapping incident.

Muhammad, a neighbor of the victim, confessed to having committed the offense alone and led detectives to where he had held the victim hostage.

The baby was subsequently rescued unharmed from an isolated area in their neighborhood and was taken to Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Kano, where she was examined and declared healthy.

Commissioner of Police Garba assured the public that such despicable acts would not be tolerated, pledging that the Command would continue to utilize all available resources to prevent criminal activities and bring perpetrators to justice.

He also expressed appreciation to the law-abiding residents of the state and urged the community to remain vigilant and cooperate with the police in preventing and reporting criminal activities to help create a safer environment for all.