A former councillor in Okene, Kogi State, Iliyasu Suleiman (44) and four others allegedly responsible for the kidnap of the mother of Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, in May 2014 have been arrested by the Nigeria Police Force.
This was disclosed by the force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, on Tuesday.
Others included Hafiz Yakubu (26), Iliyasu Obadaki a.k.a Doctor (35), Alhaji Nasiru (43), and Danjuma Ibrahim a.k.a Ubayi (26) who had earlier been arrested by the Intelligence Response Unit (IRT) team of the Inspector General of Police in Suleja, Niger State.
Tribune Online learnt that Iliyasu Suleiman was the gang’s leader who suggested the kidnap of the governor’s mother. The gang was also said to have been responsible for several armed robberies and kidnappings in Abuja, Niger and Kogi states.
Recovered from them were two AK-47 rifles, 20 live cartridges; one army camouflage inner wear; two army camouflage pair of trousers and two army camouflage caps, a black Beretta, two plastic guns, three knives and an axe.
It will be recalled that Hajia Hawawu Bello, 80, was kidnapped in Uvete, Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, on May 29, 2014.
Tribune Online also learnt that another gang member, Mohammed Jamiu, a.k.a. Bombay, was killed during gun battle with Kogi SARS in June.
Moshood said that all the suspects had confessed to the kidnapping of the governor’s mother and other robberies in FCT, Kogi and Niger.
The force spokesman said that efforts were being intensified to arrest other fleeing members of the gang while the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigation.
He enjoined members of the public to cooperate with the police to prevent crime and criminality in their localities.
In a related development, Moshood said the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, had deployed a joint police team to the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
He said the team comprised special police force, mobile force, Counter Terrorism Squad, the Intelligence Response Team, with its headquarters at Rijanah, Kaduna State.
He said that the team was under specific mandate to root out the kidnap for ransom gangs and armed robbery gangs terrorising the route.
Moshood said that the operation was to complement and augment the ongoing joint police/military operations on ground before now.
“The police personnel will be proactive and work on actionable intelligence at the disposal of the force and carry out massive deployment,” he said.
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