Police Special Forces comprising the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Special Tactical Squad (STS) on Monday paraded 81 criminal elements comprising Kidnappers, bandits, armed robbers terrorizing Abuja-Kaduna-Katsina highways, Kaduna- Kano and Abuja- Minna highways and kidnap gangs nabbed from Taraba and Kano states.
Also paraded were a kidnapping and banditry group who crossed into the country with members from Niger, Chad, Cameroon who joined up with their Nigerian accomplices.
One of the Kidnap gang led by one Rufai, a notorious kingpin who said his group was formed right inside Katsina Prisons, abducted a businessman from Sokoto State and got over N20million ransom for his release before the Police swooped on their hideout and arrested them.
However, the sum of N10.1million was recovered from them as at the time of arrest
Another kidnap gang led by one Shuaibu Dan Kaduna responsible for a lot of the kidnappings along Kaduna-Abuja-Kano highway, who ambushed a team of IRT operatives on the highway, killed four operatives, and made away with their service rifles, were arrested and the rifles recovered.
The Police stated that Shuaibu Dan Kaduna was neutralized by the Police during the shootout that led to the arrest of other gang members.
Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba while parading the suspects in company of IRT Commander, DCP Abba Kyari and STS Commander, DCP Yusuf Kolo, disclosed that a gang that masterminded and kidnapped a honourable member of the NASS, names withheld was also arrested.
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Similarly, a gang who abducted and killed an Inspector of Police, Patrick Yohanna of the Special Protection Unit along Abuja-Kaduna road on the 26th of August 2019, were arrested.
It was gathered that the gang in military uniform included some former Boko Haram members who were earlier pardoned aside from those who came in from Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The gang members confessed that they usually get their military uniforms when they want to go on operations from a Fulani man living at Jaji in Kaduna state.
Also arrested and paraded were 21 dare-devil kidnappers and Cattle rustlers from Taraba state who terrorize citizens up to Bauchi and Plateau states.
Aside kidnappers and bandits, DCP Frank Mba said operatives of the STS busted a home in the FCT where 10 internet fraudsters aka Yahoo – Yahoo boys were arrested noting that out of the number, one is a Ghanaian, a Secondary School student of Accra Academy in Ghana while leader of the gang is a graduate of Microbiology and has an MBA in Business Administration.
Consequently, the Police recovered 8 AK 47 rifles, 344 rounds of AK 47 ammunition, 15 other assorted guns, 10 laptops from the Yahoo boys and the sum of N10.1million.
During the parade, DCP Mba urged stakeholders in the Nations security project to ensure that these criminals when arrested and prosecuted are made to face the full wrath of the law noting that a situation where after the Police has done its constitutional duties, these criminals find their way back to the society and cause more havoc is worrisome.
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