Kingsley Nwezeh
The Nigeria Police, yesterday, paraded 31 suspects arrested in connection with major violent crimes, including kidnapping, culpable homicide, rape, unlawful possession of firearms among others.
Parading the suspects in Abuja, Police Spokesman and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau Special Tactical Squad (FIB-STS), also recovered a total of 61 firearms including 41 AK 47 rifles, 8 Type 06 rifles, four Light Assault Rifles (LAR), four pump action guns, two locally made firearms, one G3 rifle, one dane gun, 376 rounds of live ammunition of different calibres and the sum of N2 million from the suspects in the course of investigations.
Prominent among the cases was one of kidnapping, where the duo of Aminu Lawal (aka Kano), and Murtala Dawu (aka Mugala), both working in synergy with the kidnap kingpin known as Yellow Ashana, confessed to the kidnap and murder of two police officers and one vigilante in 2021.
They also confessed to the kidnap of students from the Greenfield University in Kaduna State and the mindless murder of five victims before the payment of ransom and eventual release of the others.
“Intelligence shows that their area of operations include Dan Hunu, Kekebi, Dan Busha Rido, Maraban Rido, and Kumi Sata, all in Kaduna State.
“FIB-STS operatives caught up with them in March, 2022, after being on their trail upon the mention of their names in connection to the kidnapping of Bethel Baptist School students in 2021,” he said.
Similarly, a five-man trans-border syndicate, which carried out kidnapping operations between Adamawa State in Nigeria and Burha, Fituha, and Kesu in Cameroun were arrested.
Members of the the gang included Abubakar Mohammed, 28; Shehu Mohammed, 38; Abdullahi Ali, 30; Abubakar Ali, 18 and Hussaini Sule, 18, all males from Mubi, Adamawa State.
“They target wealthy individuals, who possessed beautiful houses or cars. They confessed to the kidnap and multiple rape of a newly wedded woman at Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, whom they released upon receipt of N1million ransom.
“They were apprehended by operatives of the FIB-STS after collecting a ransom sum of 2 million for one Alhaji Moni of Buladega Village on the 11th of May 11, 2022,” he said.
Police detectives also apprehended the duo of Umar Muhammed aged 40 years old from Mitchika in Adamawa State and Musa Buba, 29, from Hong in Adamawa State, who were famous for their kidnapping activities.
“They were arrested at the market, upon credible intelligence that they would be there to buy food items for their kidnap victims. They confessed to many heinous crimes, including the killing and beheading of one Alhaji Mai Gome even after ransom payment had been made,” he said.
Inspector General of Police, Mr Usman Alkali Baba, while commending the FIB-STS operatives for the successes recorded, assured the Nigeria people that all criminal elements would be smoked out of their hiding places and would answer to their crimes in due course.
He said all the suspects would be arraigned in court on completion of investigations.
