Police Track ₦20,000 POS Payment To Suspected Child Kidnappers In Katsina

The Katsina State Police Command has announced the dismantling of a suspected kidnapping syndicate accused of targeting children below the age of five for ransom, with detectives rescuing a three-year-old boy unharmed and arresting several suspects.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the police disclosed the breakthrough in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, through the command’s spokesperson, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu.

The statement said the investigation began on October 5, following a complaint by Abubakar Ahmed Rufa’i, who reported that his four-and-a-half-year-old son, Muhammed Abubakar, had been abducted on September 30.

According to the police, the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of ₦5 million but later agreed to accept ₦20,000 as feeding money for the child before his release. The money was reportedly transferred through Point-of-Sale (POS) accounts.

Acting on the complaint, detectives arrested two POS operators, identified as Abubakar Muntari and Aminu Idris, who allegedly received and withdrew the money.

During the investigation, police received another report on October 8 from Abdulrahaman Bello, whose three-year-old son, Yakubu Abdulrahman, had reportedly gone missing. The father said the suspected kidnappers contacted him by telephone and demanded ransom, including an additional ₦100,000 as feeding money for the child.

Police said technical analysis linked the two cases to the same suspected criminal network, prompting detectives to launch an operation later that day.

The operation led to the arrest of a 16-year-old suspect, Abdulhakim Mustapha, at a POS terminal while he was allegedly attempting to collect the demanded money. According to the police, the two previously arrested operators identified him as the person who had collected the feeding money in the first case.

The statement added that Mustapha allegedly confessed to his involvement and led investigators to a hideout where the three-year-old victim was rescued unharmed.

During the operation, detectives also arrested Aminu Musa, 20, who was allegedly responsible for keeping watch over the child and coordinating ransom negotiations. Police further confirmed that the SIM card reportedly used to negotiate the ransom payments was recovered.

The suspects allegedly identified two other individuals, Ibrahim and Mohammed, also known as Malam, as members of the network who remain at large. The command said efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects and identify other possible accomplices.

The Commissioner of Police in Katsina State, CP Ali Umar Fage, reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting children and taking action against those involved in crimes targeting vulnerable minors.

He also urged POS operators and other financial service agents to verify customers’ identities carefully and report suspicious transactions to the nearest police station.