The Pathfinder
Wednesday March 4, 2026
Please, share this story:
A young boy has been
arrested in Kebbi State after he allegedly posed as deaf for approximately one year to covertly collect and relay information to kidnappers.
The revelation came from Abuzaidu Abubakar Yari in a Facebook post shared on Monday, March 2, 2026.
Yari reported that following the arrest of the suspected informant, the boy confessed that he and two other individuals had been deployed to monitor residents in the Makera Gandu area of Birnin Kebbi.
The boy explained that he and his accomplices were instructed in sign language to facilitate communication among themselves. He added that he originates from Niger State.
Yari advised members of the public to remain vigilant regarding unfamiliar individuals in their communities.
Part of his post reads, ” To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return! This boy you see is a reporter (informer) to kidnappers (kidnapers).
“This boy at least spent 1 year as a deaf he doesn’t talk while he is not deaf he hears but when he comes to people he becomes deaf.
“May Allah grant him victory, he was arrested and he said three (3) were sent to Unguwar Makerar Gandu to collect other people’s reports.
“The boy also said those who teach them deaf language are living in “Harasawa” town in Kebbi city, but the real boy is from “Niger State”.
“Now please who will see this boy and think he can do this kid, that’s why they said informer is better than terrorist in the society.
“Because of this, people, we should be more careful with visitors coming to us, we are dealing with them without knowing where they are from.May God continue to protect us and expose them.”
No official confirmation from Kebbi State police or security agencies regarding the arrest or confession details has been issued as at the time of filing this report.
The incident has circulated widely on social media, raising concerns about sophisticated reconnaissance tactics used by criminal groups.
Background of Kidnapping in Nigeria Kidnapping for ransom has become a widespread criminal enterprise in Nigeria since the early 2010s, evolving from isolated incidents into a lucrative, organized activity affecting urban and rural areas across all regions.
Initially prominent in the Niger Delta with oil-related abductions targeting expatriates and wealthy locals, the practice spread nationwide by 2011, driven by economic hardship, unemployment, porous borders, and weak law enforcement.
By the mid-2010s, banditry in the Northwest and Northcentral zones transformed kidnapping into a primary revenue source for armed gangs, often linked to cattle rustling and communal clashes between herders and farmers.
In the Northeast, groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP have used mass abductions for ideological purposes, recruitment, and funding, most notably the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping. Statistics indicate a sharp rise in recent years. Reports from SBM Intelligence documented 4,722 kidnappings in 997 incidents between July 2024 and June 2025, with at least 762 deaths and ransoms totaling millions of dollars.
The Northwest region accounted for over 60% of cases, with Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, and Sokoto recording the highest numbers.
The National Bureau of Statistics and other analyses estimated around 2.2 million people affected from May 2023 to April 2024, with 65% of households paying average ransoms of N2.7 million, amounting to trillions of naira annually. Recent cases in 2025-2026 highlight the persistence of the crisis.
In November 2025, over 400 people, mainly schoolchildren, were abducted in Niger, Kebbi, Kwara, and Borno states, with releases secured in stages but no prosecutions reported.
School kidnappings surged, with at least 10 incidents since January 2024 affecting over 670 children, including mass abductions in Niger and Kebbi.
In January 2026, gunmen kidnapped about 163 Christians from two churches in Kaduna State.
The crime thrives due to low prosecution rates, economic desperation, and communities’ willingness to pay ransoms to secure releases.
Authorities have conducted operations resulting in arrests and rescues, but critics argue that inadequate intelligence, corruption, and failure to address root causes like poverty and insecurity allow the trend to continue.
The phenomenon has drawn international attention, with calls for improved security, community vigilance, and socioeconomic interventions to curb the menace.
—————————————-
Share your story or advertise with us:
08033783144 (WhatsApp)
08023469999(WhatsApp)
idowuadelusi@gmail.com,thepathfindernews0@gmail.com
Follow our reports also on X @idowuadelusi and Facebook (Idowu Oluwole Adelusi)