Police arrest suspect over nine-year-old’s kidnap in Kano

The arrested suspect, Abubakar Isma’il, popularly known as Sankolo.

The Kano State Police Command has arrested a suspected thug, Abubakar Isma’il, popularly known as Sankolo, over the alleged kidnapping of a nine-year-old boy, Ubaidu Sammani, in the Rimin Kebbe area of the state.

The command disclosed the arrest in a statement issued on Sunday by its Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Kiyawa.

“The suspect, aged 22, was arrested on Friday by operatives of the Zango Police Division following intelligence gathered after the arrest of another suspected thug, Umar Usman, popularly known as Ta’ambo, on November 5,” Kiyawa said.

The PUNCH had reported the arrest of 25-year-old Ta’ambo on Thursday, over alleged involvement in thuggery, mobile phone robberies and attacks on security personnel in Rimin Kebbe and its environs.

The police said Sankolo was allegedly an arrowhead of thuggery-related activities in Rimin Kebbe and its environs and a principal suspect in the kidnapping case, in which his alleged accomplices had already been charged to court.

“The victim, Ubaidu, is the son of Alhaji Sammani, a resident of Rimin Kebbe. He was allegedly kidnapped on July 3, 2026,” the statement said.

According to the statement, operatives acting on actionable intelligence arrested the suspect at about 9.30 pm on Friday, November 6, at Rimin Kebbe Quarters during an operation coordinated under the police initiative, ‘Operation Kukan Kura.’

“Preliminary investigations showed that the suspect was allegedly involved in several cases of thuggery and mobile phone robbery in Rimin Kebbe and neighbouring communities,” the police said.

It added that he was suspected of coordinating attacks, intimidating residents and snatching mobile phones and other valuables.

The statement said the suspect confessed to several thuggery activities during preliminary investigations, adding that residents and community leaders had described his arrest as a breakthrough and expressed hope that it would help end criminal activities in the area.

The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, commended officers of the Zango Division for their professionalism and urged residents to continue providing credible information to security agencies.

The command said the suspect remained in custody while investigations continued, adding that efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the gang and recover stolen property and weapons allegedly used in the crimes.

It said the suspect would be charged in court after the conclusion of the investigation.