Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested a suspected kidnapper, Mukaila Iliyasu, and recovered N200,000 allegedly demanded as ransom during a joint security operation in Nasarawa State.
The acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, disclosed this in a statement.
According to the statement, troops of Sector 2, Operation WHIRL STROKE, working alongside operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), arrested the suspect at Akwaba in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area.
The Army said the suspect had threatened to abduct a female resident if she failed to pay the N200,000 ransom he demanded.
It explained that DSS operatives alerted the troops to the threat on October 29, prompting a coordinated anti-kidnapping operation.
During the operation, a soldier acting in disguise delivered the demanded money to the suspect, leading to his arrest while collecting the alleged ransom.
The suspect was subsequently handed over to the DSS for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The Force Commander, Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE and General Officer Commanding 5 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Moses Kolo Gara, commended the troops and DSS operatives for their professionalism, gallantry and collaboration.
He urged them to sustain intelligence sharing and operational cooperation to tackle kidnapping and other security threats within the joint operations area.