Insecurity on Kaduna-Abuja highway: Police nab, parade 13 suspects

The police, on Thursday, paraded 13 suspects nabbed over criminal activities ranging from alleged robbery to kidnapping for ransom along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, while several victims were rescued.

The Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO, CSP Jimoh Moshood, disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday while parading the suspects, along with the exhibits recovered from them at Jere, along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.

The FPRO stated that the arrest of the suspects followed the reinforcement of Operation Absolute Sanity on the Abuja-Kaduna highway with additional two units of Special Police Forces by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to tackle the criminals operating on the road.

The FPRO said that the criminals had relocated to the area around Jere to Abuja axis, but were arrested in their hideouts, while some of their victims were rescued.

He explained that during the operation, which was still ongoing, two kidnap-for-ransom gangs were dislodged from their hideouts.

According to him, “a total of 13 suspected kidnappers were arrested in the operation; they confessed to have been involved in various criminal activities on the highway.

“Arms and ammunition, as well as property belonging to some of their victims, were recovered from them.

“Most of the suspects were identified by the victims for being responsible for their kidnap, and investigation is being intensified to arrest the other suspects who are still at large.

“All the suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigations into their cases,” Moshood said.

He stated that while the operation would be sustained, the Inspector-General of Police had directed the Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the zones and commands to replicate the pastor same on the highways and major roads in other states of the country.

He said that they were also to beef up security in their Area of Responsibilities (AoR) and ensure massive deployment of armed police personnel, patrol teams and undercover operatives to black spots, flashpoints and other vulnerable criminal spots to nip in the bud all forms of crimes and criminality nationwide, and to make sure that detection of crimes was prompt, to serve as effective deterrent to would-be criminals.