Police Arrest Alleged Kidnap Kingpin, Five Accomplices In Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Police Command on Sunday said police operatives raided Gidan Taku village in Awe Local Government Area and arrested five men suspected to be members of a 10-man kidnapping syndicate.
The command’s spokesperson, Ramhan Nansel, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday.
The suspects were identified as Michael Ato, Richard Ato, Alom Bernard, Hangior Ato, and Jacob Hunde, also known as Okocha.
They were linked to the abduction of a woman, Blessing John, from the area.
“Two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and one live ammunition were recovered from them,” the statement added.
Further police investigations connected the same group to the earlier abduction of John Ada Kuje, husband of the victim, in April 2024.
The kidnappers had released him after receiving ransom.
The command said all the arrested suspects had been transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit for deeper investigations and possible prosecution.
In another development, operatives of the command arrested an alleged notorious kidnapper and armed robbery kingpin, Mohammed Bammi, popularly known as Zomo, during a clearance operation in Doma Local Government Area of the state.
He explained that the suspect, who had earlier escaped a police dragnet when his accomplices were captured last month, was cornered by officers inside Doka forest.
“During a clearance operation at Doka forest, eagle-eyed operatives spotted him.
“In a desperate bid to evade capture, he pulled a knife to attack the officers but was swiftly overpowered and arrested,” Nansel said.
Investigations revealed that Zomo later directed detectives to the gang’s hideout in Alagye village, where security operatives recovered arms, ammunition, and uniforms.
The recovered items included: one pump-action rifle (Breech No. P331551), one locally made AK-47 rifle with magazine, two live ammunition and five cartridges, one knife and a rope, two Tecno handsets, and a pair of NSCDC uniforms.
The Commissioner of Police in Nasarawa State, Shetima Mohammed, acknowledged the breakthrough and urged officers to sustain pressure on criminal gangs until kidnapping and armed robbery are eliminated from the state.
Police Arrest Alleged Kidnap Kingpin, Five Accomplices In Nasarawa is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
