The Niger State Police Command has arrested 15 suspected kidnappers and seven others for various offences.
Spokesperson of the command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, in a statement on Wednesday, said security operatives also rescued 15 passengers kidnapped along Bangi-Mangoro road.
“On 09/11/2021 at about 0730hrs, information was received that suspected gunmen blocked Bangi-Mangoro road, intercepted two commercial vehicles conveying passengers from Mangoro village to Bangi market and abducted fifteen people from the two vehicles,” the PPRO stated.
“Upon receipt of this information, the Command mobilized the Police tactical teams in conjunction with the military and vigilante to the scene, and as a result of the combined joint security team effort, the fifteen victims were rescued unhurt while effort is ongoing to arrest the fleeing bandits,” he added.
“On 06/11/2021 at about 2230hrs, information was received from a credible source that on 05/11/2021 at about 2100hrs, suspected gunmen invaded Sonfada village, Lapai and abducted two victims to Sonfada forest via Lapai,”
“On receipt of the information, a joint Police/Vigilantes team from Lapai Division were immediately mobilized to the forest and after a chase and sustained operational pressure on the hoodlums, the two victims were rescued unhurt while the following ten (10) suspects were arrested at the forest with recovery of about five hundred (500) suspected rustled cattle in their possession,”
The suspects are Abubakar Jabi age 32yrs ‘m’ of kontagora, Babuga Abdullahi age 30yrs ‘m’ of Abugi kogi State, Muhammed Jaye age 19yrs ‘m’ of Abugi kogi state, Ibrahim Mohammed age 20yrs ‘m’ of TeginaUsman Abubakar age 35yrs ‘m’ of chanawa kogi state, Mohammadu Shengi age 20yrs ‘m’of Abugi Kogi state
Others are Mohammadu Usman age 35yrs ‘m’ of kwana mariga, Mamman Julli, age 30yrs ‘m’ of masaka Abuja, Mohammed Isah, age 65yrs ‘m’ of Eminuku Lapai and Mohammed Lawali, age 48yrs ‘m’ of Sonfada Lapai.
The suspects were equally arrested with two Bajaj motorcycles, a sum of two hundred and seventy thousand naira and five cutlasses.
During interrogation, the suspects claimed to have reared their cattles to Sonfada forest from their different locations. Case under investigation.
The PPRO said that two suspected kidnappers and human trafficker, Samaila Makeri Auna and Musa Umar, were by police operatives in Nasko.
“On 03/11/2021 at about 0400hrs, a complainant reported at Nasko Division in Magama LGA that he received an anonymous letter demanding for a sum of four million naira and failure to comply will attract his kidnap. On 07/11/2021, based on a tip off, Police operatives attached to Nasko Division arrested the suspect,” the statement read.
During interrogation, the two suspects confessed to the crime and other kidnapping escapades, while in another development, one of the suspects; Samaila Makeri also confessed being a human trafficker as he had trafficked over thirty (30) teenagers from Kebi and Niger States to Kwara and Oyo States respectively. The case is under investigation.
“Earlier, on 01/10/2021 at about 0830hrs, based on a tip off whereby a victim of kidnapping sighted one of the suspect at Ibeto market and reasonably identified the suspect. The Police operatives of same Division (Nasko) swung in to action and apprehend the suspect, one Abubakar Aliyu age 32yrs ‘m’ of Bukuyo LGA Zamfara State.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed that on 6th and 26th September, 2021 at about 0200hrs, he conspired with his gang members who are Baleri, Abubakar, Legbo, Ezekiel and Kanina all presently at large armed with AK 47 rifle and kidnapped two victims from their homes at Magama-Daji and Erena villages in Magama and Shiroro LGAs respectively in which ransom of N8m was collected before the victims were released.
He confessed further that on 28/9/2021 at about 0200hrs, he conspired with two others, namely: Tambaya Abubakar age 30yrs and Mohammed Dengi age 37yrs both ‘m’ of Erena and Marafu villages with other gang members mentioned above and attacked the victim who sighted him in the market and kidnapped his wife in Nasko. A ransom of N1.2M was collected before she regained her freedom.
However, Abubakar Aliyu, Tambaya Abubakar and Mohammed Dengi were arrested and a sum of hundred thousand naira was recovered from the said Aliyu as part of his share from the ransom.
He however added that the case is 5 under investigation as effort is ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members.
