Kidnapper nabbed in Plateau after collecting N1.5m ransom

Residents of the NEPA community in Jos North Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State have apprehended a suspected kidnapper who had successfully collected N1.5 million ransom from the relatives of his abductees in Jos, the state capital.

The spokesperson of the State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, confirmed the incident to journalists on Thursday, stating that the suspect is currently in the custody of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and is under investigation.

A member of a vigilance group in the NEPA community, who wished to remain anonymous, told journalists that the suspect, after being apprehended by the residents, was immediately handed over to the vigilance group in the area. The suspect was then taken to the Laranto Police Station.

Narrating the incident, the source said, “The kidnapper had abducted two children, one four years old and the other five years old. After receiving a ransom of N1.5 million, he didn’t release them immediately.

“The following day, when he returned to an unoccupied building where he was keeping the minors, passersby heard the children crying and immediately rushed towards the building. Upon arrival, the kidnapper, who was with the minors, jumped out of the window, but as people screamed and shouted ‘Kidnapper!’ men and women from the community came out in large numbers and caught him.

“The residents then handed him over to the community vigilante group, which took him to the Laranto Police Station along with the sum of N1,492,000 that he had already collected from the parents of the abductees.”