No fewer than 183 suspected criminal elements have been apprehended by the Kaduna State Police Command following the launch of an aggressive clampdown on criminal hideouts and black spots across the state.
The raids, according to the police, were in tandem with the renewed and continuous effort to rid the state of criminal elements and safeguard lives and property.
DSP Mansir Hassan, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, explained that the suspects were apprehended in a coordinated operation spearheaded by Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in metropolitan areas, particularly in Rigasa, Kawo, Tudun Wada, Sabon Tasha, and other communities.
According to the spokesman, “The crackdown is part of ongoing efforts to restore public confidence and enhance internal security that led to the recovery of dangerous weapons and hard drugs.”
He disclosed that as part of the operation, on June 13, 2025, police carried out raids in Rigasa that resulted in the recovery of illicit drugs and 30 bags and about 1,600 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, along with other dangerous weapons.
At about 11:45 p.m. on the same day, Hassan stated that the residents of Rafin Guza discovered a bag abandoned during a police hot pursuit of suspected criminals, containing an AK-47 rifle magazine loaded with 31 rounds of live ammunition.
Investigations, according to him, are currently underway to trace the culprits, saying that they will soon be apprehended and brought to justice.
“On June 9, 2025, around 11 a.m., operatives of Kakuri Police Division, acting on a tip-off, posed as buyers and arrested a 35-year-old, Ziya Abdullah, while attempting to sell a vehicle suspected to be stolen,” he explained.
Abdullah was arrested, which later led to the arrest of his accomplice, one Bashir Usman a.k.a. Yellow, saying that the suspects confessed to robbing a residence in Gona using knives and cutlasses and stealing a Honda Accord car, which was later recovered in Zaria.
The police spokesman said efforts were ongoing to arrest other fleeing gang members, adding that some of the suspects have been charged to court while others are currently undergoing thorough investigation by the police.
DSP Hassan assured that the remaining suspects found culpable will be arraigned in court soonest in accordance with the law.
The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, has reiterated the Command’s unwavering resolve to combat crime and urged the residents to continue to provide timely and useful information to aid police operations.
CP Muhammad also assured residents of Kaduna State of continued peace across the state.
