The Nigerian Police Force has apprehended a suspected kidnapper believed to be involved in the abduction and tragic murder of Nabeeha, the daughter of a Bwari lawyer. The arrest comes in the wake of the harrowing incident where bandits abducted 19 individuals from the Sagwari Estate Layout in the Dutsen-Alhaji area of the Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory.
The kidnappers, demanding a staggering N700 million ransom for nine of their victims, had mercilessly killed four hostages, including Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a 400-level student of Biological Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and 13-year-old Folashade Ariyo.
Nabeeha was abducted alongside six other siblings, along with their father, Alhaji Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, from their home in Zuma 1, on the outskirts of Bwari town in Abuja on January 2.
The police, in a statement released on Sunday, disclosed that 28-year-old Bello Mohammed was apprehended in a Kaduna hotel raid on January 20th, where he was found with N2.25 million in suspected ransom money. Mohammed, under questioning, confessed to being part of the gang responsible for the kidnapping of Barrister Ariyo’s family members in Bwari on January 2nd.
The statement highlighted, “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, in a kidnapper’s camp in Kaduna State on 13th January 2024.”
Furthermore, it was revealed that Mohammed attempted to bribe the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) leading the operation with N1 million, but the DPO, SP Idris Ibrahim, rejected the inducement and arrested the suspect. Mohammed also provided information on the involvement of five bandits who had been neutralized by the police in Kaduna, and their deadly camp was subsequently destroyed.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, praised the commitment and professionalism of the DPO and assured that the police would spare no effort in dismantling criminal networks and ensuring a more secure society for Nigerians.
