Police Nab 20-Year-Old Suspected Kidnapper in Adamawa 

Daji Sani in Yola

The Adamawa State Police Command has recorded a breakthrough in its fight against kidnapping after its operatives arrested a 20-year-old suspected member of a syndicate terrorising communities in Song Local Government Area.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, while confirming the arrest in a statement yesterday, noted that acting on credible intelligence, detectives from the State Intelligence Department arrested Mohammad Kasimu Iliyasu of Doruwa Village last Saturday. The suspect was picked up during a targeted operation aimed at dismantling violent criminal networks in the Song axis.

He said the police investigations revealed that Iliyasu confessed to being part of a kidnapping gang operating in the area. He named five other members of the syndicate who, according to him, are armed with two AK-47 rifles and have been involved in multiple abductions.

According to the PPRO, the 20-year-old also admitted to participating in the abduction of one Alhaji Rabiu Haruna. He told investigators the gang collected N15million and two Boxer motorcycles valued at Two Million Seven Hundred Thousand Naira as ransom before releasing the victim.

 He said that the Adamawa State Police Command said the arrest was the result of sustained intelligence-led operations designed to rid the state of kidnapping and other violent crimes. The Command described the breakthrough as part of ongoing efforts to secure lives and property in the state.

 The spokesman of the Command said investigations are now focused on tracking down the five fleeing gang members mentioned by the suspect. Police say efforts are also underway to recover the arms, ammunition, and other exhibits linked to the syndicate’s activities.

 He said that the state Commissioner of Police, Kabir Umar Hassan, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to intelligence-driven policing, saying that the strategy has proven effective in disrupting criminal networks and will be sustained across all parts of the state.

Nguroje said that the CP commended the operatives of the State Intelligence Department for the swift action, and urged residents to continue supporting security agencies. He noted that timely and useful information from the public remains critical to ongoing operations.

  Nguroje said the Command would not relent until all members of the syndicate are arrested and prosecuted. He promised that updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.