The Sokoto State Police Command has rescued a 10-year-old boy who was allegedly abducted, sedated and hidden inside a sack by suspected kidnappers in Tangaza Local Government Area.
The victim, Muhammad Sufiyanu, was rescued late Tuesday after surveillance operatives attached to the Gidan Madi Police Division intercepted two suspicious men riding a motorcycle with a concealed sack.
Police spokesman DSP Ahmad Rufa’i said the boy had earlier been reported missing by his uncle, Sani Ibrahim, at about 8 p.m.
According to the police, detectives pursued the suspects when they attempted to escape. The men abandoned the sack, which was found to contain the boy alive.
The child was taken to Gidan Madi General Hospital, treated and discharged.
Investigators said the boy told police that one of the suspects lured him into a room, injected him with a sedative and forced him into the sack before he was transported away.
One suspect has been arrested and has allegedly confessed, while investigations are continuing.
In a separate operation, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit arrested Abdullahi Buba, popularly known as “Osho,” during a raid on a hideout in Tudun Doki village, Gwadabawa LGA.
Police described him as a suspected member of a kidnapping syndicate linked to attacks and illegal levies imposed on communities in Gwadabawa, Kware and Gada local government areas.
Commissioner of Police CP Hayatu Hassan Shaffa commended the officers involved and urged residents to continue providing useful information to support ongoing efforts against kidnapping and other crimes in the state.
