The police yesterday arrested a self-acclaimed Chairman of kidnappers operating in Niger state, Maitarari Isa Saidu. Saidu, 63, was paraded in Minna by police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, along with 48 suspects including two of his children.
Moshood told newsmen in the state that the kidnap kingpin ran into
trouble when his boys received and paid N400, 000 for a car which he
quickly took to sell for N800, 000 in Kano.
He said thirty-five stolen vehicles were recovered from Saidu.
According to him, the suspects were arrested by men of ‘Operation
Save Sanity’ deployed to deal with criminals within the five states.
He said, “Five AK 47 rifles were also recovered from the suspects.”
“The suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations were completed.”
Earlier, Saidu, father of 29 children, who is married to three wives,
confessed to the police that the business of kidnapping had become too
risky which was the reason he switched to receiving stolen cars.
He also said his last two kidnap operations fetched him N300million and N170million.
Saidu, who operated in Niger, Zamfara, Kaduna,Yobe states and the
FCT, said the police recovered 28 stolen cars from his depots in Niger
and Abuja, 15 in Zamfara and a number of other stolen cars from Kaduna.