The police, yesterday, paraded 26 suspected robbers, rapists and kidnappers, who were allegedly responsible for terrorising innocent citizens and travellers on the Niger State axis.
The suspects, who were also alleged to have relocated from Kaduna due to the security operations going on there, allegedly confessed to terrorising Abuja-Kaduna highway, and Kogi state, among others.
Speaking at the parade at the Ibrahim Coomasie police station, at Gawu Babangida, in Gurara local government area of Niger State, the Force PRO, CSP Jimoh Moshood said the suspects were arrested in different locations between August 16 and August 22, 2017.
He also said the suspects were arrested by men of Operation Absolute Sanity set up by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to wipe out kidnappers and other criminal groups terrorising the Abuja/Kaduna highway.
While explaining the alleged crimes of the suspects, the FPRO said aside kidnapping and ransom for money, the group also rape their female victims and kill others and noted that some of them dress in army uniforms and usually mount road blocks to deceive motorists.
The FPRO, who reiterated the determination to wipe out kidnappers from the nation’s highways, said all the suspects have made confessional statements on their role in various robbery operations while efforts is on to arrest other members of the gang after which they would be charged to court.
One of the suspects, who spoke to reporters, Abubakar Mohammed, 20, from Bauchi State, said he has been in the crime for over two years, and usually work with relatives of their victims before embarking on any operation.
He said they collect ransom ranging from N2 million from relatives of kidnapped victims and that he used his own share of the money to invest in trading.
Also, Isah Umar, one of the suspects and a commercial driver who operated at the Lapai Motor Park, said he with one Ubale Sani, another member of the gang were responsible for identifying rich passengers who come to the park and alert their members with details of the vehicle.
Items recovered from the suspects, include four AK47, riffles, four double-barrel guns, three locally made pistols, large number of amunitions, machetes, charms, various mobile phone handsets, clothing, and others.
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