The Nigeria Police Force has arrested several suspects in connection with a staged kidnapping involving a two-year-old child and a separate kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate.

The arrests were made by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) during two intelligence-led investigations, according to the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu.

In the first case, the police arrested 34-year-old Nansik Wuyep Sule over the reported kidnapping of two-year-old Rito Jesse Davou.

Police investigations revealed that Sule allegedly conspired with the child’s biological mother, Catherine Davou, to stage the kidnapping and create the impression that the child had been abducted.

According to the police, an initial ransom demand of ₦7 million was made following the alleged staged abduction. Further investigation showed that the child was kept at Sule’s residence, where the ransom demand was later increased to ₦15 million.

Another suspect, Luka Emmanuel Butdam, was also arrested for allegedly making calls to the child’s grandmother in connection with the ransom demand.

The child was eventually located and safely rescued by the police. He was given medical attention before being handed over to his biological father.

In a separate investigation, the IRT arrested Idris Mohammed, also known as Yellow, and Mohammed Bello Adams over their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of a commercial driver, Idris Zakari Baba, and other criminal activities.

The police said investigations revealed that the victim was allegedly lured under the guise of transporting Mohammed from Abuja to Zaria.

He was subsequently intercepted by armed men, taken into the bush and held captive until a ransom of ₦3 million was paid.

The victim’s vehicle, a 2012 Toyota Corolla, was later traced to Bauchi State, where it was recovered while Mohammed was allegedly attempting to sell it.

Further investigation, according to the police, linked the suspects to the reported kidnapping of Pastor David Dahni and his driver, Abdullahi Abubakar, for whom a ransom of ₦10.5 million was allegedly paid.

The police said investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals connected to the alleged criminal activities and determine the full extent of the suspects’ involvement.

CSP Ani Iniedu, in a statement issued on August 28, said the Nigeria Police Force remained committed to intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks and rescuing victims of kidnapping.