The Sokoto State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers, including a suspected member of a notorious kidnapping syndicate, in separate operations across the state.
The command also rescued a 10-year-old boy, Muhammad Sufiyanu, who was allegedly kidnapped in Gidan Madi Town, Tangaza Local Government Area of the state.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit arrested one Abdullahi Buba, alias “Osho,” on August 8, 2026, during a raid on a criminal hideout in Tudun Doki Village, Gwadabawa LGA.
The operation, which was conducted at about 2pm following credible intelligence, led to the arrest of the suspect.
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The police said preliminary interrogation showed that Buba was a key member of a syndicate allegedly responsible for a series of kidnappings and the illegal imposition of levies on communities in Gwadabawa, Kware and Gada LGAs.
It added that the suspect was providing actionable intelligence to assist in tracking and arresting other fleeing members of the syndicate.
In a separate operation, the police said a 10-year-old boy was rescued after his uncle, Sani Ibrahim of Gidan Madi Town, reported his disappearance at Gidan Madi Police Station on August 11.
The boy was said to have gone missing at about 2pm that day.
At about 11pm, surveillance detectives from the Gidan Madi Division, accompanied by the complainant, intercepted two suspicious persons on a motorcycle carrying a concealed sack.
The suspects reportedly fled when challenged, but after a pursuit, they abandoned the sack.
The police said the boy was found inside the sack, alive and responsive.
He was immediately taken to Gidan Madi General Hospital, where he received treatment and was discharged.
The victim reportedly told the police that one of the suspects lured him into a room, injected him with a sedative and forced him into the sack.
The command said one suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident and had confessed to the crime, while crime scene investigators had visited the scene.
It added that investigation into the incidents was ongoing.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Hayatu Hassan Shaffa, commended the officers involved in the operations and urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.
