Operation Puff Adder II: Police Arrest 48 Notorious Criminal Suspects
…Recover 14-AK47 rifles, 27 other prohibited firearms, 4 POS machines, others
BY EVELYN DADU, ABUJA – Operatives of the FIB Intelligence Response Team and Special Tactical Squad of the Force attached to the Operation Puff Adder II have arrested 48 criminal suspects made up of 47 male and one female, for their involvement and indictment in cases of armed robbery, kidnapping, unlawful possession of firearms, cybercrime/financial fraud and other heinous crimes in some parts of the country.
The police said that the arrest followed the flag-off of ‘Operation Puff Adder II’ by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, on February 15, 2021, to reinvigorate the ongoing fight against violent crimes in the country and bring the perpetrators to book.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba said that 41 prohibited firearms including 14 AK47 rifles, 10 AK47 Magazines, 58 live cartridges, four AK47 live ammunition, four POS machines, two laptop computers, 18 mobile phones, Internet MODEM and nine ATM cards were recovered from the suspects in the operations.
CP Mba said that notable among the breakthroughs, is the arrest of the nine criminal suspects responsible for the kidnap of Hon. Mohammed Bashir Bape, a member of the Taraba State House of Assembly in December, 2020.
The police said the suspects were apprehended at their various hideouts in Taraba and Plateau States following an intense search by the Police team for the perpetrators of the crime and follow-up on recent spike in Kidnapping/armed robbery in Taraba and the North-Central States of the Country.
Mba further said; “They are Yusuf Abubakar, 31yrs native of Jalingo LGA Taraba state, Muntari Umar, 27yrs Native of Mayo Belwa LGA Adamawa State, Ahmadu Dahiru, 28yrs, native of Lau LGA, Taraba State, Ali Alhaji Wurungo, 25yrs native of Lau LGA Taraba State, Buhari Nuhu, 25yrs, native of Jalingo LGA, Mohd GARBA, 30yrs, native of Mararaban Gasol, Taraba State, Yusuf Jibrillah 23yrs, native of Mararaban Gasol Taraba State, Adamu Ahmadu aka Bulala 32yrs, native of Taraba State and one Idi Suleiman”.
The police said that investigations by its team revealed that the suspects are members of a notorious armed robbery/kidnapping syndicate that specializes in terrorizing innocent citizens in the North-Central/North East States particularly in Plateau and Taraba States.
It also said that investigations have uncovered the roles played by each member of the gang during the kidnap of the Hon. Bashir Bape, adding that further investigations also established how the proceeds of the crime (ransom) were shared among the suspects.
The Police operatives also arrested a 12-man cybercrime syndicate for internet fraud and other cyber-related offences.
The suspects, with their ages within the range of twenty-two (22) and thirty (30), were arrested at a residence in Kubwa area of the Federal capital Territory (FCT), Abuja following intelligence received by the Police.
Similarly, CP Mba said that the Police team busted a 2-man gang of a 61-year-old physically challenged man, Musa Usman from Kebbi State who resides in Anambra State and one Ahmed Shuaibu, 27years, native of Nasarawa State for complicity in the distribution and sale of illicit/dangerous drugs to bandits in their camps at Babuga, Nasarawa State.
The police said that the physically challenged man has been taking advantage of his physical state to evade police attention until his eventual arrest, adding that 35 wraps of substance suspected to be Cocaine were recovered from the suspects.
The IGP Adamu, while noting that the Operation Puff Adder II is already yielding positive results barely 10 days after it was flagged-off, assured that the Force will not relent in its commitment at re-dominating and reclaiming the public space from criminals that are hell bent on threatening the internal security order of the country and bringing such suspects to justice.
