Operatives from the ‘B’ Division, GRA, arrested Hassan around 8:45 p.m. on September 11, 2026, during a routine patrol on Adamu Jumba Road. According to police reports, the suspect allegedly operated as a fake commercial motorcyclist during evening hours to prey on vulnerable passengers, particularly women. At the time of his arrest, he was riding a Bajaj motorcycle (registration number BAU 150G), wearing a fez cap and a black face mask, and was found in possession of a sharp knife.

Initial interrogation led the suspect to identify 15 women as victims of his alleged crimes, a number that police stated later rose to 35. Following these confessions, detectives executed a search warrant at his home and recovered numerous items believed to be proceeds of crime, including:

• 15 assorted mobile phones

• 3 power banks

• 6 women’s wristwatches

• 6 assorted native caps

• 5 bundles of women’s wrappers

• 3 women’s hijabs

• ₦425,435 in cash, alongside Turkish and Kenyan currency notes

The suspect and all recovered exhibits have been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Bauchi for further investigation and prosecution.

State Commissioner of Police Sani-Omolori Aliyu praised the officers for their vigilance, while the command’s spokesperson, SP Nafiu Habib, encouraged anyone who may have fallen victim to the suspect to come forward with information to support the ongoing investigation.

Terrorist and insurgent factions dominated the collections, with the JAS faction and its affiliates raking in roughly ₦7 billion—accounting for about 90 percent of nationwide ransom payouts. This total was driven primarily by two massive incidents:

• A ₦5 billion ransom reportedly paid following the April 2026 abduction of 416 people in Ngoshe, Borno State, led by commander Ali Ngulde, marking the largest single ransom payment in SBM’s database.

• An estimated ₦2 billion payout following the November 2025 kidnapping of 315 pupils and staff members from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State.

Beyond these major terrorist-linked factions, unaffiliated kidnappers and bandits collected ₦719.4 million (about nine percent of total payments), while the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) secured ₦53 million.

Geographically, Kwara State registered the highest ransom demands at ₦7.375 billion (32.3 percent of the national total, largely driven by a ₦3.52 billion demand linked to Boko Haram activity around Woro and Wawa), followed by Borno at ₦5.698 billion and Kaduna at ₦1.459 billion. However, when looking at actual payouts, Borno led the country with ₦5.0545 billion collected, trailed by Niger (₦2 billion), Kwara (₦278.3 million), Kaduna (₦64 million), and Sokoto (₦58 million), with these five states alone accounting for 95.8 percent of nationwide ransom collections. Conversely, states like Kebbi, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, and Imo saw much lower demands, and minimal payouts—such as ₦70,000 in Cross River or ₦100,000 in Bauchi—often represented token settlements or arrangements finalized with supplies and food rather than large cash sums.