Detectives have arrested eight dangerous kidnappers suspected to be operating along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.
The suspects and their gang leader were arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the weekend.
Recovered from the suspects are various automatic assault rifles, magazines, cutlasses and charms.
Those arrested include the gang leader, Adamu Mamman aka Master, 35, who hails from Amana village in Kaduna State, his 2ic Ali Rabo aka Blacky from Liman Ibada village, Kaduna State, Umar Antijo, 27, from Rijana village.
Aside being the gang’s 2ic, Ali is said to be the main informant of the gang. He is said to have provided the gang with most of the informations on the attack and kidnapping of victims including a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
Also arrested are, Shehu Idris Shagari, 27, and Awwalu Ahmadu aka Mota, 27, who is a receiver of stolen goods.
A police source said that Shehu is the third in command and the gang’s armorer while Babangida Abdullahi ,31, Usman Abdulmumin and Ahmad Abdullahi 31 were described as the gang’s foot soldiers.
Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Moshood Jimoh, said that the arrest of the eight suspects is sequel to series of complaints to the IGP on the notorious activities of the gang along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
He said that sequel to the complaints, directed Abba Kyari, an Assistant Commissioner of Police to deployed his men along with those from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to the area.
He said that after weeks of investigation on the intelligence report recovered, the team arrested the eight suspects from their hideouts.
He said that the gang leader, Gangleader his 2ic, and the third in command along with the five other gang members were arrested between 15 and 16 of June, 2017.
He said: “The suspects admitted that they actually kidnapped some people on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway. They said that that they decided to go to see their respective families in their villages after releasing their victims before they were arrested.
“Some of them were arrested at Maraban Jos, Anguwa Pama, Sabon Gayan and Rijana village all in Kaduna State. All the suspects arrested have confessed to several kidnapping of motorist along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
“They admitted kidnapping DSP Munir attached to Airwing Force Headquarters Abuja, a retired Police Sergeant, a driver to the Chairman Senate Committee on Police Affairs, as well as five students of the Amadu Bello University (ABU) and Nuhu Bamalli University. The kidnapped students were identified as Idris Goga, Simon Terna, Kazzah Bulus, Ibrahim Kalin, and Augustine Climax. Augustine was was later killed by the gang and his corpse dumped in a river by the kidnappers.
“Many of their victims including the Police DSP have Positively identified the gang leader his, 2ic, 3ic and informant among others as the ones responsible for their abduction. Suspects further confessed that’s hey decided to go to their respective villages because of the massive deployment of security forces to their area of Operations by the IGP.
“They said that most of their gang members are relocating from Rijana village to their respective home towns. They further confessed that there are two major groups of Kidnappers Operating within Rijana Axis of the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway. Suspects are assisting IRT operatives in tracing the Second Group. Victim Phones, N 17,000 made up of N500 fresh mints belonging to victims, SIM Cards, Charms, Cutlasses and two pairs of Army Uniforms were recovered from the Kidnappers”.