A kidnapper arrested by men of the Niger State Police Command has disclosed that he was duped of the sum of N1.8 million in a fake mining investment scheme from the N2.3 million he collected as ransom from the parents of three children he abducted.
The kidnapper, whose name was given as Aminu Ahmed, aged 25 years, while giving details of his nefarious activities, disclosed that the ransom he collected at various times after abducting the children was N2.4 million. He released the children after collecting the money.
He added that he decided to invest N1.8 million out of it in the mining investment scheme, but he was not able to get his money back as he found out that it was a fake mining investment and had been duped by those behind the scheme.
Giving details of how he abducted the children and the ransom demanded and paid, he said the three children were abducted in January, May and November this year.
He revealed that in January, he abducted a three-year-old boy around Samaru, Kontagora and travelled with him to Lagos.
He added that in the course of the journey, he contacted the father of the victim and requested for N10 million as ransom, and he later received N1.4 million through different POS outlets before dropping the boy at a location around a radio station in Kotangora when he came back from Lagos.
He also said he abducted another four-year-old boy in May this year within Kotangora, took him to Lagos and stayed in the city for three days. He added that he contacted the boy’s parents and requested for N10 million ransom.
He said he later received N500,000 before dropping the boy at a location within Mashegu Local Government Area after he returned from Lagos. He thereafter informed the parents where to pick up their child.
In November, Ahmed picked a three-year-old boy in GRA, Kotangora, took him to Ilorin, Kwara State, where he stayed for three days and contacted the father. He requested for N5 million and later received N400,000. He dropped the child in Kaboji, Mashegu Local Government Area after returning from Ilorin.
He was reported to have given more useful information to the police operatives and he is expected to be charged to court at the conclusion of the investigation.
