Mother, accomplices arrested for staging son's kidnapping in Nigeria

Police in Nigeria have arrested a mother and two accomplices for allegedly staging the kidnapping of her own two-year-old son in Plateau State to extort a ransom from his grandmother. The arrests were announced by the Nigeria Police Force on Friday, August 28, 2026.

According to a statement from the Force Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police Ani Iniedu, the suspects are Catherine Davou, the child's mother; Nansik Wuyep Sule, 34; and Luka Emmanuel Butdam. The alleged scheme took place in the Rantiya area of Jos South Local Government Area. Police said Davou conspired with Sule to create the false impression that her son, Rito Jesse Davou, had been abducted.

The investigation revealed that after the child was taken, he was kept at Sule's residence. The conspirators initially demanded a ransom of 7 million naira from the child's grandmother. The demand was later increased to 15 million naira. Butdam was arrested for allegedly making the ransom-related calls to the grandmother.

Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team conducted the investigation. Following the arrests, police said they located and safely rescued the toddler. The child received medical...