In Gombe, tricycle rider masterminds his own kidnapping, demands N500,000 to settle debt

Hallilu Aliyu, 32, has been arrested by the Gombe State Police Command for masterminding his own kidnapping for a ransom of N500,000.

Aliyu and Ahmed Ladan, 42, were said to have been arrested after police officers from the State Intelligence Bureau in Gombe received a complaint.

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The case involved criminal conspiracy, intimidation, kidnapping, and extortion, according to a statement obtained by our correspondent through the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mary Malum.

“The first suspect, Haliru Aliyu’m’ of Tudun Wada quarters Gombe, was given a tricycle by his sister-in-law after his business collapsed,” Malum said.

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“However, without the knowledge of the owner, the said suspect later sold the tricycle for N250,000.”

When the owner demanded the tricycle or money, the suspect did not show up. According to him, on December 30, 2021, the suspect went to his friend’s house, one Ahmed Ladan’m’, where they criminally conspired and faked a kidnap of the said Haliru Aliyu with the intention of extorting the sum of N500,000 from his elder sister, one Zainab Aliyu ‘f’, aged 42yrs of the same address, to enable him to refund the money.”