The Kano State Police Command has arrested a suspected thug, Abubakar Isma’il, widely known as Sankolo, in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a nine-year-old boy, Ubaidu Sammani, in the Rimin Kebbe area of Kano State.
The arrest was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Kiyawa. According to the statement, the 22-year-old suspect was taken into custody on Friday by operatives of the Zango Police Division, acting on intelligence gathered after the arrest of another suspected thug, Umar Usman, popularly known as Ta’ambo, on November 5.
Ta’ambo, aged 25, had been arrested over alleged involvement in thuggery, mobile phone robberies and attacks on security personnel in Rimin Kebbe and its environs.
Police described Sankolo as an alleged arrowhead of thuggery-related activities in Rimin Kebbe and surrounding communities, and a principal suspect in the kidnapping case, in which his alleged accomplices have already been charged to court. The victim, Ubaidu, is the son of Alhaji Sammani, a resident of Rimin Kebbe, and was allegedly kidnapped on July 3, 2026.
According to the statement, operatives acting on actionable intelligence arrested the suspect at about 9:30 pm on Friday, November 6, at Rimin Kebbe Quarters during an operation coordinated under the police initiative known as Operation Kukan Kura.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect was allegedly involved in several cases of thuggery and mobile phone robbery in Rimin Kebbe and neighbouring communities. He was also suspected of coordinating attacks, intimidating residents and snatching mobile phones and other valuables.
The statement said the suspect confessed to several acts of thuggery during preliminary investigations. Residents and community leaders reportedly described his arrest as a breakthrough and expressed hope that it would help end criminal activities in the area.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, commended officers of the Zango Division for their professionalism and urged residents to continue providing credible information to security agencies.
The command said the suspect remains in custody while investigations continue, with efforts ongoing to arrest other members of the gang and recover stolen property and weapons allegedly used in the crimes. He will be charged in court after the conclusion of the investigation.
