By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna The Kaduna State Police Command says it has recorded significant breakthroughs in the last month, ...
By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Police Command says it has recorded significant breakthroughs in the last month, with the arrest of a suspected gun runner, three bandit kingpins, and a gang linked to armed robbery and rape around Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Kaduna. He said the operations reflected the Command’s shift towards intelligence-led policing and closer collaboration with communities and sister security agencies.
The most significant seizure occurred on August 25 at about 9 p.m., when operatives from the Sabon Gari Division responded to a distress call from Yan’Karfe Motor Park in Zaria after a man was seen struggling with a sack of potatoes.
Inside the sack, police found two AK-49 rifles, 228 rounds of RPG ammunition, 275 rounds of 7.62mm AK-47 ammunition, five AK-47 magazines, and quantities of suspected hard drugs. The suspect, identified as Kenneth, 39, from Delta State, is in custody.
A day earlier, on August 24, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on credible intelligence, arrested three suspected bandits at Audu Jangwam along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
They were identified as Ibrahim Muhammad, alias Alti, 25, from Adamawa State; Usman Tukur, alias Mallam, 27, from Zamfara State; and Hassan Alhaji Salisu, alias Tagwaye, 23, from Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
During interrogation, they reportedly confessed to operating in Millennium City and other suburbs of Kaduna.
The Command also traced and arrested Gideon Martins, 32, of Jay-Jay Street, Sabon Tasha, on July 22. A search of the suspect yielded one locally made double-barrel gun, one handcuff, one live 9mm round, two cartridges, a POS machine, a drilling machine, and assorted security uniforms.
On August 25, police officers on stop-and-search duty along Kachia Road intercepted a motorcyclist carrying a sack. The sack contained 134 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition.
The rider reportedly told investigators that he was conveying the consignment on the orders of a notorious bandit known as Yellow Mai-Million.
In another operation on August 15 along the Zaria-Kano Expressway, operatives sighted some men loading items into an unregistered Volkswagen Golf. The occupants fled upon sighting the police, abandoning 11 sacks of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis. A manhunt for the suspects has commenced.
The Command, working with ABU Security and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), also broke up a syndicate allegedly behind a wave of armed robbery and rape in communities behind ABU Zaria.
Three men were arrested on August 15 following distress calls from Rafin Tukurwa Village.
The suspects were identified as Jamilu Yau, alias Jagwa, 20; Abdullahi Hamisu, alias Maikudi Santsi, 25, both of Tudun Natsira; and Sani Abubakar, alias Gaye, 20, of Rafin Tukurwa.
According to the police, Jagwa and Gaye confessed to multiple attacks in Gidan Kira, Magata and Gidan Maranta villages, where victims were allegedly robbed at knifepoint and sexually assaulted.
The suspects reportedly said they used a “grave stick” charm allegedly supplied by Maikudi Santsi. More victims and village heads have since reported similar cases against Santsi, according to the police.
In Kajuru Local Government Area, a 27-year-old man, Barnabas Amale of Iburu Village, was arrested on August 19 after allegedly threatening farmers with a pistol during an attempted phone theft in Idon-Gida.
The investigation reportedly linked him to Victor Patrick, 37, who police said collected the firearm from one Oyou Movel, who is currently at large.
The Command also recovered a white Toyota Hilux, with registration number DKA 174 LY, belonging to the Kaduna State Water Board.
The vehicle was reportedly stolen from Ungwan Rimi on August 18 and tracked to Kano State, where the thieves abandoned it and escaped.
On August 26, operatives arrested Abdullahi Abubakar and Shehu Sani, both from Makera, Kajuru Local Government Area, over the alleged armed robbery and vandalism of the Infectious Disease Centre in Mando.
Police said the gang scaled the fence, tied up five security guards and vandalised a transformer.
CP Muhammad said the Metropolitan Area Command and the Task Force had intensified patrols and raids on criminal hideouts to cut off the movement and logistics of bandits, robbers and kidnappers.
He condemned attacks on public infrastructure, describing them as sabotage against public health and safety. He urged residents to protect government facilities in their communities and provide timely information to the police.
The Commissioner also appealed to the judiciary to allow the police to parade suspects arrested with exhibits. He argued that public parades could deter crime and inform communities about the efforts of the police.
CP Muhammad thanked the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and Governor Senator Uba Sani for their support. He also commended Kaduna residents for providing information that led to the arrests.
He said all the suspects would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.
No comments