By Murtala Issah
Three suspected kidnappers have been arrested at Sang in the Mion District of the Northern Region in connection with the abduction of a man at Dobini Bunban, a farming community near Yendi.
The suspects, identified as 32-year-old Mahumudu Abdulai, 32-year-old Ganiu Sumaila and 28-year-old Abdulai Salam, were arrested at different locations in Sang on September 29, 2026.
They are being investigated over the alleged abduction of Ayuba Sumiya Mawudu, alias Haruna, who was attacked at his residence on September 25 by four armed men.
According to the Northern Regional Police Command, the attackers also assaulted the victim’s brother before taking Mr Mawudu to an undisclosed location.
The suspects later contacted the victim’s family and demanded GH¢100,000 for his release.
Mr Mawudu, however, managed to escape from his captors and was assisted by some farmers in Sambu, who took him to a health facility for medical attention.
Police officers who proceeded to the facility engaged the victim, who told them he had been held under guard by armed men before escaping.
The Police say the victim subsequently identified all three suspects from photographs.
Preliminary investigations have also established alleged links between the suspects and other robbery incidents in the area.
The three suspects remain in Police custody assisting with investigations, while efforts are underway to arrest other accomplices and establish the full circumstances surrounding the abduction.
The latest case adds to a series of kidnapping-for-ransom incidents reported in parts of Northern Ghana, particularly along the eastern corridor covering areas around Yendi, Mion, Bimbilla, Zabzugu and Saboba.
In December 2025, for instance, police rescued a kidnapping victim at Wapuli after his family was allegedly asked to pay GH¢100,000. Three suspects were arrested initially, with GH¢70,000 believed to be part of the ransom recovered. A fourth suspect was subsequently arrested.
The four men were later convicted by the Tamale High Court Two and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment with hard labour each for kidnapping and related offences. The court also ordered GH¢70,010 in recovered ransom money to be returned to the complainant’s brother.
Police have also reported other kidnapping cases in 2026, including the abduction of a teenage boy at Kabulya and the kidnapping and subsequent killing of a 26-year-old man who was grazing cattle in the Mion area.
Although publicly available data does not provide a consistent annual count from which a year-on-year increase can be conclusively established, the recurrence of cases over recent years indicates that kidnapping-for-ransom remains a security concern in parts of Northern Ghana.
The repeated appearance of the Yendi-Mion-Bimbilla corridor in reported cases, alongside substantial ransom demands and the alleged use of firearms, has raised concerns about possible links to organised criminal activity.
