Police Arrest 17 Armed Robbery Suspects, Recover Arms, Vehicles In Kaduna
The Kaduna State Police Command says it has arrested no fewer than ten suspected armed robbers, four illegal arms fabricators and three other suspects involved in kidnapping and arms trafficking across various parts of the state.
The arrests also led to the recovery of eight locally made guns, sixteen cartridges, three vehicles, and a motorcycle.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said the arrests followed intelligence-led operations and painstaking investigations targeted at dismantling criminal networks terrorising parts of Kaduna and neighbouring states.
According to the police, one of the key arrests followed a robbery incident in June, when a 40-year-old commercial motorcyclist, Ismail Bello, was attacked and stabbed by a supposed passenger around LEA Primary School, Unguwan Gwari, Kaduna.
Hassan explained that after reporting the incident on July 8, operatives of the Kawo Division’s Surveillance Team swung into action and arrested the suspect, identified as Nura Auwal.
The suspect had reportedly stabbed the victim in the head and stomach before fleeing with his motorcycle. The stolen motorcycle was recovered during the arrest.
“The suspect is currently in custody and will be charged to court upon completion of investigation,” the statement read.
In a separate operation, he said operatives on June 19, arrested two suspects, Sanusi Bala from Zamfara State and Nura Bala from Zaria, at Kano Road, Kaduna, while attempting to rob a victim of his tricycle.
“The suspects confessed to being members of a syndicate known for targeting commercial tricycle riders and dispossessing them of their tricycles,” Hassan said, adding that investigations linked them to Jamilu Zurmi of Zamfara State, identified as a major receiver of the stolen tricycles.
He added that further police operations led to the recovery of three Golf III vehicles believed to be linked to the syndicate: “A dark blue Golf III Wagon with registration number ABC-152-AL; A green Golf III Wagon with registration number ABJ-900-RE; An unregistered dark blue Golf III Wagon.”
Efforts, Hassan noted, are ongoing to apprehend other accomplices.
In another significant breakthrough on June 4, the police arrested five armed robbery suspects linked to cross-border criminal activities.
The suspects — Ahmed Umar, Isah Musa, Zailani Sa’adu, Abdulrahman Mukhtar and Ibrahim Bala — were said to have invaded a residence in Ungwan Sanusi, Kaduna, where they dispossessed a victim of his Toyota Corolla and other valuables.
He added that further investigations revealed that the stolen vehicle was sold to one Alhaji Garba Yaro, said to be at large and residing in Maradi, Niger Republic.
Police intelligence described Yaro as “known receiver of robbed vehicles” connected to various criminal syndicates operating across borders.
“The arrested suspects are currently in custody, and efforts are ongoing to track down their fleeing accomplices and dismantle the wider network,” Hassan said.
Similarly, Hassan said the anti-kidnapping operatives acting on credible intelligence on July 7, stormed Kwatakore via Nasarawan Doya Village in Makarfi Local Government Area and arrested three suspects: Rabilu Lawal, Sirajo Shuaibu, and Shehu Sarki.
He said during the operation, the police recovered two locally made guns and two live cartridges while noting that investigations revealed that the “suspects were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of the wife of a local resident.”
In a related development, the police spokesman also said operatives from the Makarfi Divisional Headquarters arrested four suspects on July 11, over illegal firearm fabrication in Giroji, Makarfi LGA.
He identified the arrested suspects as Hassan Ibrahim, Murtala Yakubu, Shuaibu Abubakar, and Ismail Shuaibu and found in possession of: “Three locally fabricated rifles; Three incomplete skeletal rifle frames; Fourteen cartridges; Five rounds of live T.06 ammunition; One bench vice machine, filing machine, welding machine, binding wires, and assorted iron and metal pipes as well as a bunch of keys.”
“The suspects are currently in custody and undergoing further investigation,” the police spokesman said.
Hassan quoted the State Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad to have assured Kaduna residents of the Command’s unwavering commitment to ridding the state of criminal elements.
“The Command remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantling criminal networks and safeguarding the lives and property of all residents,” he said.
The police Chief also urged residents to continue supporting the police with credible and timely information to enable the security agencies to achieve their mandate effectively.
Police Arrest 17 Armed Robbery Suspects, Recover Arms, Vehicles In Kaduna is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
