Nasarawa Police Arrests 4, Halts Murderous Kidnap Plot
Operatives of the Nasarawa State Police Command have cracked a dangerous criminal syndicate, arresting four suspects who allegedly plotted to abduct a local businessman and murder him after collecting a ransom payout.
In a separate enforcement operation, tactical teams also apprehended two suspected cultists linked to a brutal hacking death of a 26-year-old man in Lafia.
According to an official statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, the major breakthrough followed targeted intelligence gathering by the State Intelligence Department (SID) in the state capital.
The four suspects, identified as Yahaya Musa, Likita Adamu, Riga Abdullahi, and Saidu Alhaji Gari—all residents of the Adudu District in Obi Local Government Area—had allegedly finalized logistics to kidnap Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, a well-known businessman popularly called Alhaji Na’iye.
Security reports reveal that the syndicate intended to demand a hefty ransom from the victim’s family before executing him to cover their tracks.
Acting on the leaked plot, operatives arrested two of the suspects on September 19, while the remaining two accomplices were tracked down and locked up on September 22 and 23.
SP Nansel confirmed that the suspects confessed to the crime during interrogation. They have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Lafia for deeper investigation and swift prosecution.
Two Arrested Over Fatal Cult Clash in Lafia
Further to its operational success, the Command says it has also cracked down on deadly cult violence within the state capital.
It said that on September 24, 2026, it received a distress call behind the Eji-World area where it discovered a 26-year-old man identified simply as Venus, lying unconscious in a pool of blood from severe injuries.
Though rushed immediately to the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, medical professionals pronounced him dead on arrival.
Preliminary homicide investigations indicate that Venus was caught in the crossfire of a targeted hit. The assailants were reportedly hunting for the victim’s close friend, Joseph Friday Oluyemi, who had previously reported receiving death threats from active cult groups.
Two suspects, identified as Friday Joshua and ThankGod Auta Vincent, are currently in custody. Meanwhile, a manhunt remains underway to capture all remaining suspects tied to the homicide.
