We collected N1.5m ransom for S’Leonean envoy –Abductors

Eleven suspects arrested in connection with the abduction of the Sierra Leonean Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Maj.-Gen. Alfred Claude-Nelson, yesterday claimed they collected N1.5 million before he was freed. 

Claude-Nelson was abducted on June 30 on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on his way to attend a function in Kaduna State.
The gang was also responsible for the abduction of the Executive Director of Dangote Group, as well as many other undisclosed high-profile kidnap-for-ransom cases, in recent times. It was learnt that four of the suspects were allegedly arrested at a local government secretariat in one of the North West states. It was also learnt that a driver attached to the Embassy, now at large, negotiated the ransom, since other suspects could not speak English Language.
Briefing journalists during the parade of the suspects in Abuja yesterday, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Dom Awunah, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), disclosed that the suspected kidnappers were arrested by men of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT). The police attributed the successful smashing of the 11-man gang to “a coordinated operation based on intelligence and technical support”.
The gang, the police insisted, had “for some time now terrorised Kaduna State, the FCT and other North-Central states of Nigeria”.
“In order to halt the apparent trend in the increase of kidnap for ransom, armed robbery and other anti-social behaviours, the Inspector- General of Police, acting IG Ibrahim Idris, has reorganised the tactical operations’ teams to tackle crime and criminality throughout the country,” Awunah said. The FPRO gave the names of the suspects as Alhaji Rabiu Yusuf (gang leader), Garba Abubakar (second in command), Yusuf Adamu, Hussaini Musa, Shuaibu Idris, Usman Bello, Musa Ali and Muhammadu Abubakar.
Others are Suleiman Abubakar, Gambo Ibrahim and Balarabe Mohammadu. Meanwhile, the acting IG has directed state Commissioners of Police (CPs) to improve on the level of response to cases of crime in the country. Awunah also said the IG had ordered the same intelligence- based operations throughout the federation to flush out all criminal elements.
He added: “Also, the IG has directed the state Commissioners of Police and Technical/ Operation Commanders to improve the response rate on issues of crimes and criminality, assuring law-abiding citizens of protection of their fundamental human rights.”https://newtelegraphonline.com/collected-n1-5m-ransom-sleonean-envoy-abductors/