Kwara police nab man who led killing of Tsaragi people

The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a suspected mastermind of the killing of five men in Tsaragi, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, early this month.

It will be recalled that the murder of Nupe and Tsaragi people at Obadare village in Share community was attributed to communal clash.

The death of the victims, identified as Aliyu Issah, Mumini, Alhaji Saba, Madu Issa and Kadiri, reportedly created panic again in the two communities, leading to imposition of a dusk-to-dawn curfew by the state government.

But Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olusola Amore, who disclosed the arrest of the mastermind of the killings in Ilorin, said the man from Share community, in Ifelodun Local Government Area, had carried out the act with five of his friends, now at large, in revenge against the killing of his brother and destruction of their property in December 2015 during the clash between Tsaragi and Share communities.

Amore, who said his command had established a 12-man Eminent Persons Group from the two communities to handle issues relating to the recurring conflicts between them, absolved the people of Share in the latest killings, adding that the suspect in police custody had told investigators that he was on a lone mission to revenge a perceived wrong.

“You people reported recently that five people were killed in Tsaragi. Well, we have been able to arrest the ring leader of that dastardly act. We also recovered all the guns they used. Five others are on the run but we have the ring leader with us.

“The person arrested is from Share community. He felt that he was wronged by the killing of his brother and destruction of their property during the December clash between them and the people of Tsaragi. He alone called for his friends and went on the revenge mission. They were never backed by the community and that is why you notice it happened when there was no disagreement between the two communities.

“We have been able to manage the conflict between the two communities to a very considerable level. We have set up a 12-man Eminent Persons Committee, six from each side, and they are going to be meeting with the police regularly on issues about the two communities,” he said.

The police boss, who also paraded a suspected armed robber, Lekan Bello, who allegedly robbed Walex Pharmacy, Gaa Akanbi area, Ilorin on August 10 at about 9.30 p.m with others (now at large), said that the suspect was arrested with a locally-made pistol and a live cartridge.

Also paraded was a suspected kidnapper/armed robber who was arrested along Ilorin/Offa road.

“On investigation, various charms were recovered from him, while he confessed that his father in Shao town, Moro Local Government Area, gave him bullet-proof charms and another that would prevent his arrest after operations,” the police commissioner said, adding that the suspect would soon be arraigned in court.