Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested two persons believed to be members of a transnational kidnap syndicate involved in the kidnap of an American citizen Philippe Walton on October 28 at his farm in Massalata Village, Republic of Niger.
The suspects Aliyu Abdullahi, 21, aka Mallam and Aliyu Umaru, 23, aka Kwatte Kusu, both from Sokoto State, were arrested on November 25, a statement posted on Twitter by the police on Thursday reads.
The statement further read: “The 2-suspects – members of a 15-man kidnap gang of Nigerian/Nigerien extraction, led by Barte Dan Alhaji and Dan Buda – were arrested following a special intelligence-led operation aimed at arresting the criminal gang, disrupting and halting other criminal activities by them.
“Investigations by the Intelligence Response Team reveal that the gang was plotting other abductions to avenge the death of their cohorts – 4 Nigeriens and 2 Nigerians who died during the rescue operations.
“The Force is collaborating with its Nigerien counterpart in the investigations to apprehend other members of the transnational syndicate currently at large.”
US Special Forces rescued the American three days after the kidnap in northern Nigeria.
The suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation, police said.
