Katsina Islamic cleric uses drugs, kidnaps his four-year-old cousin, and demands N5 million

The Katsina State Police Command has arrested Jamilu Idris, a 39-year-old Islamic teacher, for allegedly kidnapping his four-year-old cousin.

On October 9, 2021, Idris of Yankara village in the state’s Faskari Local Government Area was arrested.

SP Gambo Isah, the state command’s spokesman, stated that Idris kidnapped the victim after drugging him on October 5, 2021.

Idris is said to have later demanded a N5 million ransom.

According to reports, the victim’s father negotiated a ransom of N500,000.

Isah went on to say that after paying the ransom, the victim’s father reported the incident to police, which led to Idris’ arrest.

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Idris confessed to the crime while being paraded at the state command headquarters on Wednesday.

“I regret my action; the devil pushed me into doing it,” he said in Hausa.

In the meantime, 13 other suspects charged with various crimes were paraded at the police headquarters on Wednesday.

They included two members of a vigilante in Faskari LGA accused of armed robbery; four men accused of killing two women and injuring a man and his two children in a robbery operation, a vandal, and six others accused of selling fuel to bandits and acting as informants.