Police operatives in Plateau State have paraded 10 suspects for abduction of persons in various parts of the state.
The ten alleged kidnappers were paraded at the Plateau State Police Command Headquarters in Jos, alongside persons arrested for crimes ranging from unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, railway vandalism, culpable homicide and cattle rustling.
Parading the suspects, the Commissioner of Police in the State, CP Bartholomew Onyeka, warned that the state is no longer safe for criminals.
On the arrest of suspected kidnappers and rescue of kidnapped victims, Onyeka said,
“On 23/10/2022 at about 1630hrs, while acting on a tip-off that one Muhammed Buba ‘M’ aged 20yrs of Gimbi village, Wase LGA was seen at Sunnah Clinic in Dengi, Kanam LGA with a deep cut on his right hand and suspected to be a criminal, Police operatives attached to Bashar Division swung into action and arrested the suspect.
“On interrogation, the suspect confessed to belonging to a gang of notorious kidnappers and further disclosed that he sustained the injury during one of their operations where they kidnapped one Hafsatu Abdulkadir, a nursing mother and her 2 years old baby but were almost countered by the victim’s husband.”
CP Onyeka said further investigation led to the arrest of one Aliyu Kiruwa, Muhammed Usman alias KABO, both males of Gimbi village, Wase LGA suspected to be members of his gang.
He however informed that the victim had been rescued unhurt by the Police in collaboration with local security help groups of the community and reunited with her family without paying any ransom.
The Police boss also said, “On the 3rd November 2022, at about 10:30 hours through credible intelligence, one Gideon Gyang 21 years, an escapee of the recent Jos jailbreak who has terrorised and dispossessed unsuspecting residents of Vom in Jos South LGA, was apprehended by Police operatives attached to Kaduna Vom Division led by CSP Abuh Emmanuel.”
He further stated that “On 3rd November 2022 at about 22:30 hours, a distressed call was put through to Rantya Divisional Police Headquarters that unknown gunmen were shooting aimlessly at River Side, Rantya.
“On receipt of the information, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Division, SP Iliya Ayuba aggressively led his men to the scene of the incident but the gunmen kidnapped and took off with one Pam Dauda, 36 years old and Victor Goewan, 41 years old, both males of River Side Rantya.
“In a bid to arrest and rescue the victims, the police operatives trailed the suspects and engaged them in a fierce gun battle, where they fled and abandoned the victims. The victims were rescued and reunited with their families.”
On the case of criminal conspiracy, cattle rustling and kidnapping, the CP said, “Sometime in the month of October 2022, a case of Cattle Rustling was reported at Wase Divisional Headquarters by one Alh. Sale Bahago of Safiyo Village, Bashar District of Wase LGA that about two weeks ago some unidentified bandits attacked his children at gunpoint while grazing at Sabon Layin Safiyo Forest and rustled away his two hundred cows, valued at sixty million naira and fled.
“On receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer of Bashar, CSP Atiku Yahaya and team swung into action and arrested one Shuaibu Abubakar aged 24years, Sale Hassan aged 23years and Adamu Saidu aged 26years in connection with the case.
“Their arrest further led to the recovery of Sixteen (16) Cows from Mikang LGA. The suspects also confessed their involvement in the kidnap of one Dauda Mohammed, village head of Pinau in Wase LGA sometime in September 2022, who was later rescued by the security operatives.”
CP Onyeka said the police also arrested Adamu Koplang, male, of Kongyel Village, Tell District LGA for unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition on 23/10/2022 who disguised himself as a local medicine seller, at a police check point by operatives of Mikang Police Division.
“When thoroughly searched, one locally made Barretta pistol with three rounds of live ammunition, a YY tool knife for cutting glass and the sum of three thousand naira (N3, 000) were recovered from the suspect.”
He advised members of the public to report suspicious movements and persons to the Police and other law enforcement agencies to help nip crimes in the bud.ax
