Police Nab New Kidnap Gang On Abuja-Kaduna Highway
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – Following the intense operations and additional deployment of 600 Police personnel of the Special Intervention Forces to curtail kidnapping and other violent crimes on the Abuja-Kaduna highway, the team working on available intelligence on July 8 and 9, 2017, swooped on kidnappers dens in Gwagwada, Kangimi and Katari villages in Kaduna State and arrested seven of the notorious suspects.
During the operation and arrest of the suspects, the Police IGP special team recovered firearms and ammunition from the suspects who have already volunteered confessional statement admitting to the various criminal roles they played in the kidnap of motorists, travellers and other innocent people for ransom along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.
The arrested suspect include one Ibrahim Gurgu, 45 years, and a native of Gwagwada village, Kaduna, Abdulazeez Idris, 40 years and a native of Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State and Shuaibu Ibrahim aka Kadi, 29 years, who is a native of Kangimi village of Kaduna State.
Others are Ibrahim Isiyaku, 30 years, a native of Gwagwada village of Kaduna State, Usman Datti 30 years, also a native of Gwagwada village of Kaduna State, Kabiru Musa, 27 years, who is a native of Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State and Haruna Umar, 24 years, a native of Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State, who the police said are all principal suspects.
The police said items recovered from the suspects include one Ak-47 riffle, two locally made pistols, 30 rounds of live ammunition, one magazine, two military camouflage, three cutlasses and charms.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh Moshood, who paraded the suspects before members of the press, said the suspected criminals would soon be charged to court on completion of investigation.
The Police spokesman said that, even though all the arrested suspects have confessed to the crimes against them, investigation is being concluded into the various crimes against each of them.
According to him; “These operations along Abuja-Kaduna Road will be sustained to ensure adequate safety of life and properties of all Nigerians. Similar operations across the highways and major roads in the country are being pursued with similar vigour and will equally be sustained.”
Moshood also said that the successes recorded so far followed the concern of the Police with cases of kidnappings, armed robberies and other violent crimes on the Abuja-Kaduna road
He said the development led to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, deploying additional 600 Police personnel of Special Intervention Forces, comprising of Intelligent Response Team (IRT), Special Tactical Squad (STS), Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Anti-Kidnapping Units, Police Mobile Force (PMF) and the Counter Terrorism Units in early June to root out the vicious and notorious kidnap for ransom and armed robbery gangs.
He said the gangs were responsible for many kidnappings and armed robberies along the affected highway and also identified to be responsible for other violent crimes in the FCT, Niger and Kaduna States.
The Force PRO said that the effort of the IGP in deploying special forces paid off as eight principal suspects were on June 19, 2017 paraded after preliminary investigation revealed that they were responsible for several kidnappings, armed robberies and cattle rustlings on Abuja-Kaduna Highway.
The police spokesman assured that the Force in its renewed determination to prevent crimes and criminality throughout the country, will not relent in ensuring that crimes that cannot be prevented are promptly detected to serve as deterrent to would-be criminals.