In a breakthrough in the investigation into the abduction of a medical doctor in Auchi, the Edo State Police Command has arrested three key suspects linked to the kidnapping and killing of a doctor, bringing a major criminal network closer to being dismantled.
The case took an unexpected turn earlier this week when suspects allegedly connected with the crime walked into the same hospital where one of their victims works — only to be recognised and apprehended.
On Sunday morning, February 8, 2026, operatives from the Edo State Police Command acting on credible intelligence, moved into the Specialist Hospital in Auchi where two men — Idris Abubakar and Sani Abubakar — were taken into custody. Police say the pair were identified as members of the gang responsible for the January kidnapping after they were spotted at the hospital accompanying a sick child for medical treatment.
According to police sources, Dr. Ibrahim Babatunde Abu — the surviving victim of the January abduction — recognised the suspects, remained calm, attended to the child’s ailment, and discreetly alerted security personnel, prompting their arrest.
The first significant breakthrough in the case came on February 3, 2026, when police operatives from the Auchi Division, working alongside local hunters and vigilante groups, intercepted Saminu Kawujie during a bush-combing operation in Warake Forest. A search of the suspect revealed two knives, mobile phones, a UBA ATM card, and cash believed to be linked to criminal activities. Kawujie was later identified in a police line-up as being directly involved in the abduction.
Dr. Babatunde and his younger brother, Abu Tahir, both medical doctors, were abducted at gunpoint at their residence on City Pride Road, Igbira Camp, Auchi in the early evening of January 1/2, 2026.
The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of ₦200 million. During protracted negotiations, the younger brother, Abu Tahir, was tragically killed in captivity. His body was later found near a riverside in the area.
Dr. Babatunde was eventually freed after a ransom — reported by some outlets to be around ₦50 million — was paid by his family and well-wishers, and he got medical attention for a bullet wound sustained during the ordeal.
Police authorities say the operation remains ongoing as investigations continue to map and dismantle the wider kidnapping network thought to be operating around Auchi and neighbouring communities.
Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika has reaffirmed the command’s commitment to public safety, pledging sustained intelligence-led policing and aggressive bush-combing operations to ensure all perpetrators are brought to justice. Residents have been urged to share information via the command’s emergency and complaint lines.
