Police confirm killing of suspected gang member in Gombe

The Gombe State Police Command has confirmed the killing of a suspected member of a notorious criminal gang within Gombe metropolis during an attack on a police patrol team.

The confirmation was made in a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Buhari Abdullahi, which was made available to journalists in Gombe on Sunday.

He added, “During the confrontation, one Special Constabulary, Ahmed Muhammad, aged 28, attached to the patrol team, sustained serious injuries and lost consciousness at the scene.”

He further stated, “He was initially presumed dead but was later revived and rushed to Zainab Bulkachuwa Hospital, where he is currently receiving medical treatment for suspected internal injuries.”

While narrating the events, Buhari Abdullahi said, “The Command wishes to inform the public about a violent attack on a patrol team that occurred on the night of Wednesday, 17th April 2025, at about 10:10 p.m., in Kumbiya-Kumbiya Quarters, Gombe Local Government Area.”

According to him, “While on a routine anti-violence patrol as part of ongoing crime prevention strategies, the patrol team sighted a group of suspected hoodlums loitering around a known black spot within the area.”

“Upon approaching the location, the criminals, in a brazen show of hostility, launched an unprovoked attack on the officers using cutlasses and other dangerous weapons,” he added.

The PPRO further stated, “As the gang advanced in greater numbers, posing an imminent threat to the lives of the patrol team, one officer, acting in self-defense and in defense of his colleagues, maimed one of the attackers, Umar Musa, aged 25.”

Musa was immediately rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) in Gombe, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor and deposited in the hospital morgue.

A preliminary investigation revealed that one Haruna Kaura, a notorious individual known for mobilizing criminal gangs and peddling illicit substances, specifically Pentazocine injections, in the area, instigated the attack on the police.

Two cutlasses were recovered at the scene of the attack, and efforts are currently being intensified to apprehend Haruna Kaura and other fleeing suspects connected to the heinous act.

The Commissioner of Police, Gombe State Command, CP Bello Yahaya, strongly condemned the attack and reiterated the Command’s commitment to ridding the state of criminal elements.

The Command also called on well-meaning residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly to law enforcement authorities. The public is urged to remain calm as investigations continue.