Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Troops of Sector 6, Operation Enduring Peace, have arrested a 30-year-old man, Yahaya Mohammed, suspected to be linked to a kidnapping syndicate operating in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State. The suspect was arrested at about 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2026, following a report on the movement of suspected kidnappers who had allegedly collected ransom from their victims. The troops intercepted Mohammed around a forested area and found him carrying a large bag containing N1,925,000 in cash.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect claimed the money was proceeds from the sale of cattle. However, security sources said he was unable to provide reasonable evidence to substantiate the claim. The suspect remains in military custody for further investigation and necessary action to establish the source of the money and determine whether he has any connection with kidnapping activities in the area.
The arrest is part of a broader operational success recorded by troops across the North-Central and North-East regions between September 26 and 27. In the same period, troops of Operation Enduring Peace foiled an alleged cattle-rustling operation at Sabon Layi community in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State. The troops' intervention forced the suspected rustlers to abandon 57 cattle and flee the area. The recovered cattle were moved to the military base for subsequent handover to their owners.
In Mangu Local Government Area, troops responded to an alleged militia attack on Lawet community, where 12 cattle were killed and another 12 injured. The troops subsequently tracked and recovered several rustled cattle around the Pankshin general area. The operations reflect the military's sustained effort to curb cattle rustling and kidnapping, two criminal enterprises that have become deeply intertwined in Plateau State, where rustled cattle are often used to pay ransoms or fund the operations of armed groups.
The arrest of Yahaya Mohammed with N1.925 million in cash is particularly significant because it strikes at the financial lifeline of kidnapping syndicates. Ransom payments are the lifeblood of these criminal networks, and intercepting a suspect with a large sum of cash in a forested area suggests that security forces are increasingly targeting the money trail rather than simply responding to attacks after they occur. The suspect's claim that the money came from cattle sales is a common defence in a region where livestock trading is a legitimate and widespread economic activity. But without documentation, witnesses, or a verifiable transaction trail, the claim falls apart under scrutiny.
The recovery of the cash also raises questions about how many other couriers and financiers are operating in the shadows, moving ransom money through forests and rural communities where oversight is minimal and cash transactions leave little trace. For every suspect arrested with a bag of cash, there are likely others who remain at large, their identities unknown, their networks intact.
The military has not disclosed whether Mohammed has been handed over to the police for prosecution or whether he remains in military custody for further interrogation. The investigation is ongoing, and the outcome will determine whether he faces charges related to kidnapping, money laundering, or cattle rustling, or whether he is released for lack of evidence. For now, the N1.925 million is in the custody of the military, and Yahaya Mohammed is in a cell, waiting to learn whether his cattle story will hold up or fall apart.
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