THE Taraba State Police Command has paraded 20 suspected kidnappers allegedly terrorising the state.
According to the command, the suspects were arrested in various spots across the state, following credible intelligence.
Parading the suspects before newsmen at the command’s headquarters in Jalingo, the state capital, on Friday, September 22, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Usman, disclosed that the suspects had all confessed to committing the crime.
He said operatives recovered three AK-47 rifles and a fabricated pump action gun from them.
The suspects include Buhari Ishaku, Sule Mohammed, Tsino Buns Majidadi, Emmanuel Danlami, Hassan Dan’asabe, Hussein Kasimu, Husseini Mohammed, and Usman Hassan.
Others are Haro Ibrahim, Abubakar Mohammed, Lawali Dogo, Gidai Ibrahim, Ibrahim Abdullahi, Okundu Godwin, Ikechukwu Emmanuel, and Ibrahim Babangida.
The Police PRO also stated that the suspects had collected over 30 million naira as ransom from their victims’ families.
”The command has launched a serious manhunt on the criminals hibernating in some identified hot spots within the state following public outcry on the nefarious activities of these criminal elements operating within the state, particularly the Jalingo metropolis.
“The Special Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Special Striking Force attached to the Government House have organized constant raids on the hideouts of these hoodlums to have a crime-free society where law-abiding citizens would be allowed to go about their lawful business without fear of being molested or intimidated by any quarter,” Usman said.
Giving the breakdown of the arrests, Usman highlighted that the command arrested suspected kidnappers, including Sanusi Ibrahim, John Baba, and Hassan Yusuf, in Sabon-Gida Akwe village of Kurmi local council based on credible intelligence.
He explained that the suspects were part of a kidnapping gang terrorizing the area, adding that they invaded the house of one Mafure Hassan in Sabon-Gida village and kidnapped two of his relatives, Usman Hassan and Habiba Mafure.
The Special Anti-kidnapping Unit similarly apprehended two suspected kidnappers in Donga Local Government Area, seizing an AK-47 rifle and two live ammunition.
The Command spokesperson said the suspects confessed to being part of a gang involved in armed robbery and kidnapping across the state’s Donga, Bali, and Takum Local Government Areas.
He added that in a separate incident on August 26, another four persons were arrested in Kurmi LGA for invading the compound of one Hussein I Mohammed’s residence, abducting his son, and demanding a ransom of six million naira.
On September 10, following credible information about suspected kidnappers, the Police said it deployed a team to a hideout in Kurmi LGA, arrested four persons and recovered an AK-47 rifle and an empty magazine.
According to Usman, the anti-kidnapping team, in collaboration with Ibi LGA Vigilante group, apprehended a suspect, Ibrahim Abdullahi of Gishirin Hassan Village in Ibi LGA, who had since confessed to being part of a kidnapping gang that terrorized Ibi and Wukari areas.
He, however, assured residents of the state of the Police Commissioner’s commitment to providing adequate security. He urged the residents to abide by the law and cooperate with security agencies to help them fulfil their mandates.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M