The police in Kano have arrested four youngsters who allegedly kidnapped a three-year-old boy recently, within the metropolis.
Kano State police commissioner, Mr Mohammed Yesufu, who paraded the kidnapers and other accused criminals before newsmen, described the development as a new phenomenon in the state.
Until now, kidnap cases were only associated with the southern part of the country.
Yesufu said luck ran out on the Kano kidnappers after a team of detectives foiled their bid to collect the N10m ransom they had demanded from the father of the boy (names withheld).
He said the kidnapers were arrested at the point of collecting the ransom, at a new generation bank within the metropolis.
One of the accused, 20-year-old Ibrahim Dattiwhop, who looked unperturbed, told newsmen that he had planned to use part of his own share of the booty to buy a brand new Honda.
” Walahi, I really want to drive in one of these choice cars in town, especially Honda because it is so sweet,” he said. “That is why we arranged to steal the boy and make his father give us the money.”
Investigations revealed that the father of the victim is neither a top-ranking government official nor one of the known rich people within the Kano metropolis.
The police chief also announced the arrest of a gang of armed robbers who dispossessed one of their (police) colleagues of his car, stole his N700, 000 and then killed him.
Among those paraded were a gang of car thieves and robbers who had been terrorizing residents of Sabon-gari and other parts of Kano metropolis.
Yesufu advised car owners to endeavor to install modern demobilisers and other security gadgets in their cars to secure them.