Police Arrest Three Over Staged Kidnapping, Rescue Two-Year-Old

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested three suspects over an alleged staged kidnapping involving a two-year-old boy in Jos, Plateau State, and rescued the child from where he was being kept.

The suspects were identified as Nansik Wuyep Sule, 34; Catherine Davou, the child’s mother; and Luka Emmanuel Butdam. The arrests were made by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team during an intelligence-led investigation.

According to the police, the suspects allegedly conspired to create the impression that the two-year-old, identified as Rito Jesse Davou, had been kidnapped and then demand ransom from his family.

Investigators said the scheme began with a ransom demand of ₦7 million, which was later increased to ₦15 million.

Police alleged that Sule and the child’s mother conspired to stage the abduction, while Butdam allegedly made telephone calls to the child’s grandmother in connection with the ransom demand.

The child was reportedly kept at Sule’s residence as the suspects attempted to sustain the impression that he had been abducted by unknown kidnappers.

Police said the investigation began after the child was reported missing in Jos. Operatives subsequently deployed intelligence-gathering and technical tracking methods to establish what had happened and identify those behind the alleged scheme.

The investigation eventually led officers to the suspects and the location where the child was being kept.

The two-year-old was rescued safely and taken for medical attention before being handed over to his biological father, according to the police.

The police said the investigation is continuing as detectives work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged staged kidnapping and determine whether other people were involved.

The case highlights the challenges faced by security agencies in distinguishing genuine abductions from allegedly fabricated kidnapping reports designed to obtain ransom.

The police have continued to warn Nigerians against staging kidnappings or making false ransom claims, noting that such schemes can divert security resources away from genuine victims.

The suspects remain in police custody while investigations continue. The allegations against them have not been established by a court, and they remain presumed innocent until proven guilty.