Islamic Cleric Among Suspected Kidnappers Arrested In Edo

by MIKE OSAROGIAGBON

 

… “I only prayed for him” — Cleric

A 52-year-old Islamic scholar, Malam Jubril Ibrahim, arrested alongside four others over alleged kidnapping, has claimed that he merely accommodated and prayed for one of the suspects.

Malam Ibrahim, who was arrested in Niger State, said the suspect was brought to him by his mother to learn the Quran and receive prayers.

“I teach Quran to Almajiri (Madrasa or Quranic students). His mother brought him to me to teach him and pray for him so that he stops moving from one place to another with machine gun (AK47 rifle). He lived with me in Niger State. I did not know he was into kidnapping,” the cleric said.

According to the police, the cleric was arrested over his alleged complicity in the kidnapping and suspected links to the criminal activities of the syndicate.

Others arrested in connection with the syndicate include Mohammed Abubakar, Tukur Adam, alias Dogo, Musa Ibrahim and Iro Ibrahim.

The Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Patrick Daaor, disclosed the arrests while addressing journalists in Benin City on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

CP Daaor said the suspects were members of an inter-state kidnapping syndicate responsible for several kidnapping cases reported in Edo and Kogi states, especially in Edo North.

He said operatives of the Edo State Police Command, acting on intelligence, arrested the suspects in Niger State on August 30, 2026.

The CP commended the operatives for what he described as their gallantry and sustained efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating across state boundaries.

He also acknowledged the support of Edo residents and Governor Monday Okpebholo towards the operation.

The Command’s spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, who paraded the suspects, said their arrest followed the abduction of Mohammed Tasiu Imokhe and his wife at Jattu, in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, on August 8, 2026.

“The operatives arrested Malam Jibril Ibrahim, Mohammed Abubakar, Tukur Adam, aka Dogo, Musa Ibrahim and Iro Ibrahim in Niger State on August 30, 2026.

“Following the abduction, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Violent Crime Response Unit swung into action, leveraging technical and actionable intelligence provided by the Technical Intelligence Unit, Abuja”, ASP Ikoedem said.

She explained that acting on information obtained from the suspects, police operatives on September 1, 2026, recovered two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles, one pump-action rifle, six magazines and 200 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition from the Okpella forest.

The police said the recovery formed part of ongoing efforts to dismantle the alleged syndicate and prevent further attacks on residents.

ASP Eno said the profiling of the suspects was ongoing, while efforts had been intensified to apprehend other members of the alleged gang.

The police assured residents that sustained intelligence-led operations would continue against criminal elements operating across Edo State and neighbouring states.

Speaking with journalists during the parade, one of the suspects who spoke through an interpreter confessed to their involvement in the Jattu kidnapping as well as several other kidnapping operations in Edo and Kogi states.

He also admitted that the arms and ammunition were recovered in their possession.

He however denied participating in the abduction of New Edoline persagers saying his gang is not fully responsible for the criminal operations in the areas.