A suspected Nigerian kidnap kingpin, who escaped in a shootout between the army and police, has been rearrested. POLICE RE-ARREST NOTORIOUS KIDNAP KINGPIN ALHAJI HAMISU BALA WADUME pic.twitter.com/vjEY5GRt7y — Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) August 20, 2019 Police say Hamisu Bala Wadume was tracked down after a “massive manhunt” to a hideout the northern state of Kano. Two weeks ago in north-eastern Taraba state, three officers and a civilian were shot dead by soldiers who attacked a police unit transporting him to the regional police headquarters. At the time, the army said the soldiers believed that kidnappers, not police officers, were in the vehicle. In a video tweeted by Nigerian Police, Mr Wadume admits in Hausa that the soldiers helped him escape by cutting off his handcuffs. Police rearrest notorious kidnap kingpin Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wudume. pic.twitter.com/ubFdMErLTc — Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) August 20, 2019 Mr Wadume has been on the polices wanted list for several high-profile kidnap cases that include a recent abduction where a ransom of about $275,293 (£226,478) was paid. The circumstances of his escape from custody have infuriated the police force, which has made no secret of its anger on its Twitter account. On Tuesday, the police retweeted a demand for answers from the military: It highlights the fractious relationship between Nigerias security agencies as they fight Islamist insurgents in the north-east, confront deadly clashes between farmers and herdsmen and rampant kidnappings nationwide. President Muhammadu Buhari has set up a panel to investigate the shooting.
