The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a mother, her child’s lesson teacher and another accomplice over the kidnap of her two-year-old son and a N15 million ransom demand in Jos, Plateau State.
The suspects, identified as 34-year-old Nansik Wuyep Sule, Catherine Davou and Luka Emmanuel Butdam, were paraded on Wednesday at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) headquarters in Abuja, where the police disclosed how investigators uncovered the circumstances surrounding the child’s disappearance and rescued him.
The case began on July 19, 2026, when two-year-old Rito Jesse Daviu was reported kidnapped around Behind Bishop’s House, Sabon Barki, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. Following intelligence received on the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, investigators deployed human and technical intelligence to determine what had happened to the child.
Police said the breakthrough came on July 23 when operatives of the Mine Special Duty unit in Jos, led by ASP Sarauta Mohammed, arrested Sule. Information obtained during the operation reportedly helped investigators establish the connection between the suspects and the child’s disappearance, leading to the subsequent arrest of the other suspects.
During the parade, the child’s mother explained that the incident was linked to financial difficulties she was experiencing. She said her husband, who was preparing to travel to Spain, had given her N200,000 to keep for emergencies, but she used the money for a personal contribution. When she later needed N50,000 to buy fuel for the family vehicle and was unable to use her bank card, she borrowed the money from a church member.
The woman said she later contacted her husband about the money, but he questioned why she could not use the N200,000 he had previously given her. She explained that she had already spent the money, resulting in a disagreement between them. According to her confession, her financial situation subsequently became known to the lesson teacher who had been teaching her first child for several years.
The lesson teacher, according to the police account, suggested kidnapping as a means of raising money. The initial plan was reportedly for the mother to be kidnapped, but the teacher later proposed using the two-year-old boy, believing that his father would be more willing to pay a substantial amount for the safe return of his son.
DCP Adamu Muazu, while briefing journalists, explained that the lesson teacher went to the child’s paternal grandmother’s residence and used balloons to attract the attention of the two-year-old before taking him away. The child was then moved to a location around Behind Grandsreal, Zawan District, Jos South, where he was kept while his family was made to believe that he had been abducted.
The suspects subsequently demanded N15 million from the family for the child’s release. They contacted the boy’s grandmother and pressured her to persuade her son to provide the ransom. Police said Butdam was involved in communicating with the grandmother through a hidden number as the suspects attempted to maintain the kidnapping narrative and conceal their identities.
As the investigation progressed, however, operatives began following the communication trail and analysing intelligence gathered around the case.
The suspects reportedly changed their method of communication and obtained another SIM card in an attempt to frustrate efforts to trace them. Calls were also diverted to voicemail, but the grandmother reportedly became suspicious after noticing that the voice in one of the messages did not sound like a normal human voice.
Investigators continued to track the communications and gather intelligence until they were able to establish the suspects’ connections and locate the child. The two-year-old was rescued from the location where he had been kept and taken to a hospital for medical attention before being handed over to his biological father.
The breakthrough is consistent with the intelligence-led approach repeatedly emphasised by Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, who has continued to charge police investigative and intelligence units to remain proactive, strengthen intelligence gathering and pursue criminals relentlessly. The Nigeria Police Force has also continued to emphasise intelligence-led operations and collaboration among security agencies in tackling criminality.
The three suspects remain in police custody as investigation continues into the alleged kidnapping, the financial motive behind the operation and the individual roles played by each suspect. The police said the case further demonstrates the importance of human and technical intelligence in tracing criminal activities, rescuing victims and bringing those responsible to justice.
