Saadu Abubakari Bitcoin Suspect
Saadu Abubakari Bitcoin Suspect at a sceneof crime- PRNigeria[1]
Bitcoin Kidnap Ransom: Police Nab Suspect in $15,000
Transaction
… Makes useful revelations
… Other suspects traced, tracked
… Sources allege insider connections to kidnap incidents
The Nigerian Police Force, Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Command has tracked down and arrested the main suspect in
connection with the kidnap incident involving an exchange of
bitcoins worth $15,000 ransom payment, which was the first of its
kind.
This is coming as security sources have alleged growing insider
connections to most kidnap incidents involving prominent victims
especially those from the northern part of Nigeria.
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain, Dr. Umar Ardo, was
in September 2019 forced to pay $15,000 in bitcoins to get his
daughter, Ms Aisha Umar, freed by kidnappers.
PRNigeria[2] investigation reveals
that the suspect, one Mr. Saadu Abubakari, who is currently in
Police custody has made a useful confession that is helping to
crack what is regarded as a new trend in the kidnapping cases.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, gave a hint of
Abubakari’s arrest at the weekend in his weekly update when he
disclosed that the Anti-Kidnapping Squad had nabbed “13 members of
kidnapping syndicate and other dangerous criminals”.
“Sequel to the ongoing investigation into a reported kidnap
incident at Asokoro on 14th September 2019, Police detectives from
the Command Anti-Kidnapping Squad have arrested one Saadu Abubakari
‘m’ 23 years in connection with the incident. The suspect was
arrested around Apo after the phone number used for the criminal
act was traced to him. The Command is making concerted effort to
arrest other persons involved in the criminal act,” Ciroma
Stated.
The Police had after facilitating the payment of the ransom and
release of the suspect engaged its intelligent operatives who swung
into action, trailed the suspect (Abubakari) and finally tracked
him down in Apo where he was arrested.
Police sources informed PRNigeria[3] that Abubakari, who is a
commercial motorcycle rider (Okada) admitted to owning the sim card
which was registered in February 2018 but he sold it to another
suspect (now at large) who bought it from him for N1000. Abubakari
who hails from Kano said he was tricked by a certain female suspect
who acted to have lost her way, contacts and desperate for a new
sim card to make calls.
“Speaking to him in Hausa, the female suspect negotiated to buy
his sim card for N1000 with which the kidnap for ransom deal was
made,” Abubakari was said to have confessed.
Further findings also revealed that Abubakari who is illiterate
and only speaks Hausa, claims to “have never stolen before, doesn’t
know anything about bitcoin or understand how it works, doesn’t
have a bank account or ATM card.”
Police said that while the crack team of Intelligence and
Investigative officers are on the verge of unravelling the case
which according to the sources “sets a precedence in the kidnapping
cases because of the bitcoin”, yet there are challenges.
An intelligent officer noted that while the Police are
monitoring the situation and so far more than $9000 has been
withdrawn from the bitcoin but the sophistication of the technology
involved has opened a new chapter challenging their investigative
skills.
The officer, however, assured that they have found a way in
overcoming the obstacles posed by tracking the bitcoins and would
soon nab the culprits.
“We now know that we need a lot of tools, collaborations and
more training. We have almost wrapped up this case but there are
still gaps and challenges in tracking the bitcoins owing to not
only the technical nature of the transactions but the technological
tools needed to crack it,” the officer said.
Speaking further, the sources revealed that the investigation
has so far disclosed a near certainty of insider connections and
involvement in the kidnap incident, adding that Police have
uncovered a growing trend of “insider information from family
members, other relatives and domestic staff deeply involved in
these kidnappings.”