Uncle, four others arrested over Borno girl’s abduction

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The Borno State Police Command has arrested five suspects, including 20-year-old Mustapha Mohammed, who allegedly masterminded the abduction of his eight-year-old niece, drugged her, and collected a N3m ransom paid through a cryptocurrency account.

A statement on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Nahum Daso, said the suspects were arrested between November 29 and December 4, 2025, after a thorough investigation.

Daso listed the suspects as: Mustapha Mohammed ‘M’ 20 years; Ismail Shuaibu, ‘M’, 25 years; Abdul Mohammed Bulama, ‘M’ 23 years; Amina Ibrahim, ‘F’ 19 years, and Lawan Yusuf Hassan, ‘M’, 25 years.

The statement reads, “The Borno State Police Command, under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Abdulmajid psc, has recorded another significant breakthrough with the arrest of five suspects in connection with the kidnapping of an eight-year-old girl in Maiduguri, the state capital.

“On November 4, 2025, at about 1500hrs, a report was received at the Bulumkutu Police Division regarding the abduction of an eight-year-old girl of Gomari Area, Maiduguri, who was kidnapped while returning home from school.”

According to the command, the abductors later contacted the victim’s family and “demanded a ransom of Three Million Naira (₦3,000,000), which was paid through cryptocurrency.”

Daso noted that the victim was released on November 7, 2025, after the ransom was paid.

“Upon receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police immediately directed the Command’s Crack Squad to carry out a discreet and intelligence-driven investigation into the matter,” he said.

“Following intensive tracking, surveillance and digital tracing, the police crack team successfully apprehended five suspects between November 29–December 4, 2025, who were found to have conspired in committing the crime,” he added.

He stated that preliminary investigation revealed that Mustapha Mohammed — an uncle to the victim and a resident of Gomari — was the mastermind of the kidnapping.

“He conspired with Ismail Shuaibu and Abdul Mohammed Bulama to execute the abduction,” Daso said.

The suspects allegedly picked the child on her way from school, moved her through several locations using different tricycles to disorient her, and later changed her clothes after disposing of her school uniform.

“The suspects later took the child to a tailor where she was changed into a new plain dress, after which her school uniform was disposed of,” he added.

Daso continued, “The suspects then proceeded to a hotel along Pompomari Bypass Area of Maiduguri with the assistance of one Amina Ibrahim ‘F’, who falsely presented Ismail Shuaibu and herself as a married couple and parents of the child.”

He added that “investigation further revealed that the child was drugged and kept in captivity in the hotel for three days until the ransom was paid via cryptocurrency, after which the victim was released.”

Further digital tracing led detectives to one Lawan Yusuf Hassan, ‘M’ of Bulumkutu GSM Village, who claimed to be an IT technician and was found to have facilitated and received the ransom payment through his account.

“The case remains under active investigation, as efforts are ongoing to recover the ransom and identify other possible accomplices,” Daso stated.

He said Abdulmajid commended the crack squad for their swift response and reiterated the command’s zero tolerance for kidnapping and violent crimes.

“He further warned criminal elements to desist from such acts or face the full weight of the law.

“Further developments will be communicated to the public as investigation progresses,” the statement added.

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