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 received a ransom of ₦3m through a cryptocurrency account.
A statement on Thursday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, said the suspects were arrested between November 29 and December 4, 2025, following a discreet investigation.
Daso listed the suspects as Mustapha Mohammed, 20; Ismail Shuaibu, 25; Abdul Mohammed Bulama, 23; Amina Ibrahim, 19; and Lawan Yusuf Hassan, 25.
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.
“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 the Gomari area, Maiduguri, who was kidnapped while returning home from school.”
According to the statement, the abductors contacted the victim’s family and demanded a ransom of ₦3m, which was paid via cryptocurrency.
The victim was released on November 7, 2025.
“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,” Daso said.
“Following intensive tracking, surveillance and digital tracing, the police crack team successfully apprehended five suspects between November 29 and December 4, 2025, who were found to have conspired in committing the crime,” he said.
He added that preliminary investigation revealed that Mustapha Mohammed, an uncle to the victim, masterminded the abduction in collaboration with Shuaibu and Bulama.
The suspects reportedly intercepted the child on her way from school, moved her through multiple tricycles to conceal their trail, and later took her to a tailor who changed her into a new plain dress before disposing of her school uniform.
Daso said the group then proceeded to a hotel along the Pompomari Bypass with the assistance of Amina Ibrahim, who posed as Shuaibu’s wife and mother of the child to gain access to the facility.
He explained that the child was drugged and held in the hotel for three days until the ransom was paid via cryptocurrency.
Further digital tracing led the police to Lawan Yusuf Hassan of Bulumkutu GSM Village, who claimed to be an IT technician and was found to have facilitated and received the ransom payment.
“The case remains under active investigation, as efforts are ongoing to recover the ransom and identify other possible accomplices,” Daso stated.
He added that the Commissioner of Police commended the crack squad for its 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 the investigation progresses,” Daso said.
PUNCH Online reported on November 30 that Troops of Operation Hadin Kai rescued 12 teenage girls abducted by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Mussa District of Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
According to a statement by the Army, the victims, aged between 15 and 20, were kidnapped on 23 November while harvesting crops on their family’s farmland.
“They were freed on Saturday, 29 November, following a swift, intelligence-led operation by troops of Operation HADIN KAI in the southern Borno axis,” it noted.
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