By Ife Osemedua
Two suspected members of a transnational kidnap syndicate alleged to have kidnapped a United States citizen in October have been arrested close to six weeks after the victim’s rescue by United States forces.
The victim, Philippe Walton, was kidnapped on October 28 at his farm in Masalata Village, Republic of Niger.
A statement issued on Thursday by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the suspects, Aliyu Abdullahi, 21, and Aliyu Umaru, 23, both from Sokoto State, were apprehended by men of the Force on November 25.
The statement said, “The two suspects – members of a 15-man kidnap gang of Nigerian-Nigerien extraction, led by Barte Dan Alhaji and Dan Buda – were arrested following a special intelligence-led operation aimed at arresting the criminal gang, disrupting and halting other criminal activities by them.”
Mba added, “Investigations by the Intelligence Response Team reveal that the gang was plotting other abductions to avenge the death of their cohorts – four Nigeriens and two Nigerians – who died during the rescue operations.
“The Force is collaborating with its Nigerien counterpart in the investigations to apprehend other members of the transnational syndicate currently at large.”
The statement also disclosed that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, was collaborating with other members of the West African Police Chiefs Organisation (WAPCO) to tackle transnational crimes in the sub-region through improved intelligence sharing among security agencies in the ECOWAS sub-region and strengthening security along the international borders of member-states.