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In Niger State, police have apprehended a 29-year-old individual, Godwin Yahaya, for allegedly orchestrating a plot to kidnap and murder a farmer named Jonah Isah in Zawudna village, Munya Local Government Area. According to the Niger State Police Command, the suspect engaged a man named Bashiru, who remains at large, to abduct Isah in 2024 for a ransom demand.

The abductions, which ultimately transpired on June 26, 2026, saw Bashiru and associates break into Isah's residence during the early hours of the night, resulting in Isah's death and the abduction of family members and three others. The abductors demanded N2.1 million in ransom before releasing the victims. Police revealed that the victims, who were recently freed, named Yahaya as the individual responsible for contracting the kidnappers.

Yahaya was subsequently arrested by the Department of State Services in Kuchi on September 27, 2026, and transferred to the Sarkin-Pawa Police Division for further investigation. Confessions from the suspect indicate a willingness to collaborate with Bashiru to share the ransom money. Additionally, police allege that Yahaya seized Isah's farmland following the farmer's demise.

Yahaya is presently undergoing additional investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna, while authorities pursue the apprehension of his alleged accomplices. The police emphasized that the investigation will persist as they strive to unravel the full context of the killing and the kidnapping conspiracy.