- 26 kidnap, cultism suspects held, ammunition recovered in Nasarawa
The police in Kano State yesterday paraded two fake soldiers, two fake Customs officers and 92 other suspects arrested for various offences.
Operatives who arrested the suspects during raids, also recovered several weapons and items suspected to have been stolen by them which included three locally made guns, some deadly fabricated weapons, four motor vehicles, two tricycles, six motorcycles, a roll of power cables and two Plasma TVs.
Other recovered items were an Air Conditioner, two jerrycans of 25 litres of palm oil, a gas cylinder, a ceiling fan, some wrist watches, 28 peg iron symbols in cemetery for grave identification, 20 cartons of Codeine Syrup, 45 parcels, 303 wraps of dried cannabis, Exol Tablets, 30 pieces of Diazepam and 30 pieces of Suck and Die.
The state Commissioner of Police (CP) Mohammed Usaini Gumel, said: “So far, a total of 96 suspects were arrested for offences ranging from drugs and substance abuse that formed the motivating factor for violent crimes in the State such as mobile phone robbery, kidnapping, armed robbery, theft of motor vehicles, etc.”
Among the suspected criminals paraded were 38 armed robbers, 52 mobile phone snatchers and six illicit drug abusers, among others.
CP Gumel said the achievements were recorded by intensified drive for policing and engagements with concerted intelligence-led operations, round-the-clock visibility patrols, synergising with the military and other sister security agencies, as well as massive support of the media towards public sensitisation on the need to shun crime and criminality
Similarly, Nasarawa State Police command said it arrested 26 kidnapping and cultism suspects at different locations across the state.
Spokesperson for the command, DSP Rahman Nansel, disclosed this while parading the suspects in Lafia, the state capital. He said they had all confessed to committing the offences for which they were arrested.
According to Nansel, three of the suspects, Jibrin Idris, 20, Manu Kauji, 20, and Tukur Sule, 20, were arrested on April 30, around 4pm, with 155 rounds of 7.6 by 39mm live ammunition, by police operatives attached to Awe Division who acted on credible information.
“Upon interrogation the suspects confessed that they were sent by one Idris of Katsina State to purchase the ammunition at Ibi, Taraba state before they were arrested at Tunga village, Awe LGA.
“A follow up investigation by men of the command’s anti-kidnapping unit led to the arrest of Idris Abdullahi of Kankara, Katsina State, the father of a suspect earlier arrested where one AK-47 rifle, one magazine and 323 rounds of 7.62 by 39mm and 14 rounds of 7.62 by 51mm live ammunition, totalling 492 rounds were recovered from the suspects as exhibit,” he said.
He said other kidnap suspects were arrested in Wamba local government area of the state, and about 13 cultists were arrested in Masaka, Karu local government area of the state with ammunition.
The police command spokesman said, all the suspects would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.