The police in Adamawa State have arrested three suspects allegedly involved in an extortion and attempted kidnapping scheme, barely 24 hours after the state government ordered the closure of all boarding schools over rising insecurity.
In a statement on Sunday, the police spokesperson, Suleiman Nguroje, said the arrest followed a report filed on 19 November by a resident of Song Local Government Area who said he received a threatening phone call the previous day from an unknown number.
According to the police, the caller demanded ₦2 million and warned that the victim would be abducted and possibly killed if he failed to comply.
Mr Nguroje said the Commissioner of Police, Dankombo Morris, immediately directed the State Intelligence Department to investigate the case.
The suspects — Ahmadu Alhaji Halilu (24), Adamu Buba Balejo (21), and Hassan Alhaji Liman — were arrested in Malabu district of Fufore LGA. The police said the men confessed to the crime during interrogation, adding that the SIM card used in the attempted extortion was recovered as evidence.
The commissioner commended the officers who handled the operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tracking and prosecuting criminals across the state.
The arrests came a day after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri ordered the de-boarding of all public and private secondary schools in the state.
In a statement, the Commissioner for Education and Human Development, Umar Pella, said the decision was taken in response to recent mass abductions of schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi states.
Mr Pella said the state government observed that boarding schools had become primary targets for kidnappers, prompting the directive that all such schools operate as day schools until further notice.
“All principals and proprietors of public and private schools are therefore directed to deboard their respective students with immediate effect,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the police said investigations into the incident are continuing.
