A suspected bandit kingpin arrested in Delta State has claimed he and his gang rear cattle for an unnamed Alhaji based in Abuja.
The suspect, Abubakar Usman, was arrested on Wednesday by the Delta State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad, working alongside SafeCity Security Service, during an operation at his hideout in the Ogwashi-Uku/Adonta Forest. He was apprehended after a gun battle with security operatives.
The operation was triggered by the July 2 abduction of Mrs Blessing Chiedu, a native of Umunede Kingdom, who was kidnapped along Ani-Ifekide Farm Road in Ubulu-Uku. Human rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu, who confirmed the incident on X, said the kidnappers demanded a ₦100 million ransom from her family.
In a video circulating online, Gwamnishu questioned the suspect after his arrest. Usman said he travelled from his home state of Niger to Delta, where he linked up with two other gang members. The three-man group, he said, operated with a pump-action gun and collected about ₦5 million in ransom from one victim.
“We are three in number. I’m from Niger State. We were using a pump-action gun,” he said.
Usman further claimed the gang works for an unnamed Abuja-based Alhaji, though he said he did not know the man’s exact address.
“The Alhaji we are working for is in Abuja, but I don’t know exactly where he lives,” he said, adding that the gang also rears cattle belonging to the man.
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