Police arrest woman who demanded N20m for kidnapping nephew

The police in Kano State have arrested a woman identified as Zainab Rabiu for allegedly kidnapping her brother’s six-year-old son, Almustapha Bashir, in Dala LGA.

The 45-year-old who was arrested alongside three others reportedly resides in the Gwammaja Quarters in the Kano metropolis.

According to Daily Trust, the incident happened in April when the boy was declared missing by his parents who reported the matter to the police.

The report further stated that the victim's family was contacted by some people who demanded a N20m ransom but later agreed to collect N5m after negotiations.

The state’s Commissioner of Police (CP), Muhammed Usaini Gumel, while parading the suspects, said, “In a follow up investigation by the police command, the victim was rescued unhurt, and his aunt, Zainab Rabiu, and three others, Abdulrasheed Saidu (27), Hassan Abdullahi (24) and Ahmed Saleh (25), were arrested.”

Narrating how she masterminded the incident, the principal suspect, Zainab, said she led one of the suspects to the house of her younger brother and directed him to abduct the boy.

She said, “His father is my younger brother. I did that to get some money, but I didn’t get even N1 from the N5m collected. When they received the money, I got arrested. I really regret what I did and will never repeat it.”