By Acheli Obidah Fwa
The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested three men, including a 28-year-old son accused of orchestrating the abduction of his own father in a desperate bid to raise money to marry a second wife.
Police said the incident occurred on 30 January 2026 in Jera village, Malabu District of Fufore Local Government Area. The victim, identified as Alhaji Ahmadu, was allegedly kidnapped in a plot hatched by his biological son, Da’u Alhaji Ahmadu.
The arrest followed what police described as a coordinated raid in the area as part of ongoing operations against kidnapping, gender-based violence and other criminal activities in the state.
Speaking to journalists, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, said a joint operation involving police operatives and members of the Miyetti-Allah led to the arrest of three suspects in Jera village.
“To intensify operations against criminal elements in the state, a joint coordinated operation comprising Police operatives and members of the Miyetti-Allah carried out a raid operation at Fufore Local Government Area, and three suspected kidnappers were arrested at Jera village in Malabu District,” Mr Nguroje said.
The suspects were identified as Lawali Haruna, 45; Yahaya Ibrahim, 25; and Da’u Alhaji Ahmadu, 28, all residents of Jera in Fufore LGA.
‘I connived with my friends to kidnap my father’
In separate confessional statements obtained by journalists, the suspects admitted to varying degrees of involvement in the alleged plot.
Da’u, who described himself as married, said he worked with his friends to abduct his father and demand a ransom of N2 million.
“My name is Da’u Alhaji Ahmadu. I am 28 years old, a resident of Jera village and I am a married man,” he said. “I connived with my friends to kidnap my father and demand for a ransom of N2 million because I want to add another wife to make them two.”
He said he believed his father would refuse to give him the money if he asked directly.
“I didn’t ask him for the money like a son, but I felt he would not give me even if I asked. That was why I decided to kidnap him,” he said.
Now in police custody, Da’u expressed regret over his actions, saying he fears he has permanently damaged his family’s trust.
“My family will no longer trust me and the whole community will not trust me again,” he lamented. “I don’t know where my father has been taken to. I am pleading with him to forgive me. I have wronged him.”
‘We were looking for someone to carry out the abduction’
Another suspect, Yahaya Ibrahim, told reporters that he was approached by Da’u to help find someone to execute the kidnapping.
“My friend Da’u met me and said we should look for someone that will kidnap his father because he wants to have an additional wife,” Ibrahim said.
He admitted that his involvement has brought shame to his family.
“I know my family is ashamed of me because of what I have done. I am sorry for conniving with my friend to betray his father. I plead with his father to forgive me wherever he is,” he said.
Lawali Haruna, the third suspect, said he was introduced into the plan by Ibrahim.
“Ibrahim met me and told me his friend wants us to look for people that will kidnap his father. So I called someone I know has done this kind of work before and he took his father away,” Haruna said.
He claimed that efforts to reach the alleged abductors after their arrest have been unsuccessful.
“Since the day we were arrested, we tried calling his number but it was not connecting. I heard he is in another community. As it stands, I don’t know exactly where Alhaji Ahmadu is,” he said.
Haruna added that he has accepted responsibility for his role. “I have accepted my fate to abide by any consequence of my actions and what the law says because I am guilty of the act. I plead with Alhaji Ahmadu to forgive me.”
Police assure residents
The Commissioner of Police in Adamawa commended the synergy between the police and local security outfits in the operation and reassured residents of the command’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state.
He urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to support ongoing efforts against kidnapping and other crimes.
As police continue investigations and efforts to locate the abducted man, residents of Jera village are left grappling with the emotional weight of a crime that turned a father and son into victim and suspect — and exposed the fragile line between personal ambition and criminal desperation.
