Kebbi Police Foil ₦30m Extortion Plot, Arrest Four Suspects

Operatives of the Kebbi State Police Command have arrested four suspects for allegedly conspiring to extort a resident of Jega Local Government Area of ₦30 million through threatening phone calls.

The suspects were identified as Muhammad Shafiu 21, Mansur Ibrahim 21, Aliyu Umar 25 and Muhammad Suleiman 23.

According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Bashir Usman, the arrests followed a complaint lodged by the victim, Aminu Garba, who reported receiving repeated anonymous calls demanding payment or risk being kidnapped.

Investigations revealed that three of the suspects allegedly obtained a new SIM card and used it to repeatedly contact the victim, with one of them disguising his voice to create fear and conceal his identity.

Police further disclosed that a fourth suspect, identified as Muhammad Suleiman, who was reportedly a family friend of the victim, allegedly supplied the syndicate with the victim’s phone number and sensitive personal information to facilitate the extortion attempt.

The suspects were later tracked and arrested in Gumbin Kure and Gamjeji villages in Maiyama Local Government Area of the state.

Following their arrest, the Commissioner of Police in Kebbi State, Umar Hadejia, ordered a full investigation into the case and assured that the suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

He also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, while urging residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious communications or activities to security agencies.

The police provided emergency contact lines for the public and assured confidentiality of all information shared with the command.