Suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate linked to the abduction of a medical doctor in Auchi, Edo State, and the killing of his younger brother have been arrested after an unusual encounter at the hospital where the victim works.
The suspects were reportedly apprehended after bringing their sick child to the same hospital for medical treatment. While carrying out his duties, the abducted doctor, Dr. Abu Ibrahim Babatunde, allegedly sighted the suspects in a hospital ward and recognized them as part of the gang that abducted him weeks earlier. He immediately alerted the hospital management, which notified security operatives, leading to the arrest of the suspects within the hospital premises.
Confirming the arrests, the spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the development followed sustained investigations into the abduction of Dr. Babatunde. She explained that a breakthrough in the case was recorded on February 3, when operatives of the Auchi Division, working with local hunters and vigilante groups, carried out a bush-combing operation in Warake Forest and intercepted a suspect, Saminu Kawujie.
According to her, a search on the suspect led to the recovery of two knives, two mobile phones, one UBA ATM card, and ₦20,250 in cash. An identification parade was later conducted at the police station, during which the suspect was identified as one of those involved in the doctor’s abduction.
ASP Ikoedem further disclosed that on February 8, 2026, at about 9:00 a.m., the Divisional Police Officer, acting on credible intelligence connected to the same case, deployed operatives to the Specialist Hospital in Auchi. At the hospital, two additional suspects, identified as Idris Abubakar and Sani Abubakar, were arrested and subsequently identified as members of the gang that abducted Dr. Babatunde on January 2, 2026.
She added that Idris Abubakar was specifically identified as the person who received the ransom paid for the doctor’s release. The police said investigations are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate, assuring residents that all those responsible for the crime would be brought to justice.
