Operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested no fewer than 32 notorious suspects for their complicity in the crimes of kidnapping, armed robbery, arms smuggling, illegal possession of weapons, trading in illicit drugs, trans-border car theft, rape, amongst others.
The Police team equally recovered 19 AK-47 rifles, one GPMG, three revolver rifles, 2G-3 rifles, one SMG, one berretta pistol, 453 rounds of live ammunition of different calibre, 12 magazines and 17 stolen cars from the suspected criminals during the follow-up investigations.
Notable amongst the cases is the arrest of six notorious criminals involved in car theft in different parts of the country particularly Nasarawa, Port-Harcourt, FCT, Kebbi and Zamfara.
Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, said “these suspects smuggle the stolen cars through our international borders and deliver same to a major criminal receiver called Alhaji Garuba (still at large) in the Niger Republic.”
He stated further that investigations revealed that the modus operandi of the suspects include snatching the cars at gunpoint and sometimes removing the cars from where parked especially crowded car parks like the cinema, churches and mosques.
CP Mba noted that these cars were sold in neighbouring countries at give-away prices and sometimes delivered to Alhaji Garuba in exchange for illicit weapons.
He added that the Interpol Unit of the Nigeria Police is already working with their counterparts in the Niger Republic to arrest the fleeing suspects in order to bring them to book.
He explained that secondly, is the arrest of one 27-yr-old Dayyabu Mohammed of Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State for illegal possession of five AK-47 rifles and 250 rounds of AK-47 ammunition.
The suspect, according to him, was arrested during a crackdown on bandits at Saminaka Forest in Kaduna State by operatives of STS.
The Force Public Relations Officer said that Investigation shows that Dayyabu Mohammed is an arms supplier to two identified and wanted bandits in the North West and North Central parts of the country.
According to him, the two bandit kingpins are Yellow and Budderi, adding that Dayyabu Mohammed was intercepted while ferrying the weapons from Jos, Plateau State in a Golf-3 saloon car to the bandits in their hideouts located in a forest at Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna State.
He stated further that investigations by the Police team revealed that the Golf-3 saloon car was given to Dayyabu as his operational vehicle by one of the wanted bandits, with a promise that the full ownership of the vehicle will revert to him on completion of five successful arms delivery missions.
“Also, is the arrest of the perpetrators of a recent deadly attack on travellers in the Tafa axis of the Kaduna – Abuja highway where two women and their husbands were abducted by the criminals into the forest.
“The operatives of the Special Tactical Squad deployed to that area were quickly mobilized and went after the suspects to rescue the victims,” he further stated.
CP Mba noted the Police operatives eventually identified the hideout of the criminals, launched a rescue mission and successfully rescued the hostages, including the women, unhurt.
The operatives, according to him, equally apprehended a gang of six; Mohammed Lawali, Suleiman Ibrahim, Mohammed Rebo, Bashir Audu, Monsoru Abubakar and Abubakar Hamidu, in connection with the attack on a Mosque in Mazakuka area in Mashegu LGA in Niger State where 18 people were reportedly killed and more than 30 abducted.
He said: “Investigations by the Police team revealed that the gang leader, Mohammed Lawali and some of the gang members are escapees from the Lokoja correctional centre, while Bashir Audu was arrested for his criminal role of supplying hard drugs to the gang”.
Finally, he said, two AK-47 rifles, three fully-loaded magazines and various parcels of hard drugs were recovered from them.
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