Security operatives in Kaduna successfully thwarted the abduction attempt of a professional footballer and automobile businessman. The victim, Mohammed Goni Jidda, who had been kidnapped in Kano, was rescued as one of the terrorists was apprehended.

The kidnapping of the victim, which took place on July 23, 2024, at a hotel in Kano, involved five abductors who had taken him and were heading toward Abuja before being intercepted by police operatives attached to Sabin Gari Division, Zaria, on routine patrol.

Kaduna Police Spokesman, ASP Mansir Hassan, on Thursday in a statement, said that “the suspicious sitting posture of the occupants of the vehicle in which the victim was being transported alerted the police operatives that something was amiss. They acted swiftly, resulting in the rescue of the victim unhurt and the subsequent arrest of one of the suspects, Alfaki Abdullahi.”

He added, “Preliminary inquiry indicates that the suspects arrived in Kano from Maiduguri to kidnap the victim, a resident of FCT Abuja, who had come to Kano for a business endeavor.”

“Equally, the suspects had since contacted the victim’s close associates, demanding a large sum as ransom before the police intervened. The rescued victim and the arrested suspect will soon be handed over to the Kano State Police Command where the kidnapping occurred.

“The Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command, CP A.D. Ali, lauded the police officers’ vigilant efforts and warned criminals to stay away from Kaduna State due to the police command’s uncompromising security measures.”