An informant to bandits, Ado Haruna, who set up his nephew, Alhaji Bashiru Anas and his family members for abduction, has revealed that he was given N200,000 out of the N13 million collected as ransom.
The suspect arrested by the operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), was among criminals recently paraded by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in Abuja.
Haruna, of Angwa Kanawa Dutse Abba, Zaria, Kaduna State, was reported to have taken Shago Yaro, Tanimu Ayuba and Lamido Dantajiri, close to the house of his nephew, Alhaji Anas, and suggested him and his family members as a good catch for kidnapping that would yield a lot of money.
On the day they struck, the bandits invaded Alhaji Anas’s residence at about 1 a.m., met his absence and went away with his two wives and three children, as well as his younger brother and his wife.
It was gathered that the captives were taken to Buruku Sabo Birni and held hostage for 60 days. A total sum of N13 million, four new motorcycles and N300,000 Airtel recharge cards were given to the bandits as ransom before the victims regained freedom.
In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Haruna, aged 50, narrated how he masterminded the abduction of his nephew’s family members.
“I’m into farming and vigilante work. It is true that I was the one who took bandits to Alhaji Anas’s house. Anas is my nephew; my elder sister’s son. I knew only one of the bandits who asked me to show them my nephew’s house,” he said.
“I led the bandits to his house but didn’t let him see me. We were living in the same community. They did not see Anas, so they took his wife and children. For the 60 days his family was in the bush, I was using Alhaji Anas’s phone to communicate with the bandits.
“The bandits were paid over N10 million as ransom, as I was made to know, but I was given N200,000 as my share. I bought maize with the money given to me.
“I didn’t know how the police got information about my involvement. I just saw them at my home. Life pushed me into crime.”
