Patience Robinson, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Police Command has intensified its efforts against criminal elements, announcing the arrest of 25 suspected kidnappers and killers following a series of strategic, intelligence-led operations conducted across the state over the past two weeks.
The Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Command headquarters on Monday.
He noted that the arrests were the result of sustained pressure on criminal syndicates operating within the state.
According to him, the total arrest of 25 suspects includes 12 individuals linked to kidnapping and banditry and 13 suspects apprehended in connection with cases of culpable homicide.
Among the successes reported, police operatives successfully tracked an interstate kidnapping ring to Sagamu, Ogun State.
Acting on credible intelligence regarding the movement of illegal firearms, the detectives intercepted the group and recovered two AK-47 rifles, a pump-action gun, a fabricated pistol, 10 rounds of 9mm live ammunition and four cartridges.
All suspects have been transferred back to Kaduna to face prosecution.
In a separate operation in Zaria, the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit arrested one Yahya Alhaji Yusuf for alleged involvement in banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and armed robbery.
The suspect reportedly confessed to participating in the kidnappings of two persons along the Buruku axis.
He was found in possession of an AK-47 rifle, and had admitted to collecting ₦6 million in ransom from his victims.
The Commissioner also addressed a tragic incident in the Katuga Unguwar Ruwa Village of Kagarko Local Government Area, where 13 suspects were arrested following the killing of two individuals, Isiyaka Bijimi and Mercy Danladi, amidst allegations of witchcraft.
The incident, which had escalated into communal violence, remains under investigation as the Command makes efforts to restore order.
The operatives intercepted two suspected drug dealers, Jamilu Ahmed and Mubarak Ibrahim, in Zaria.
The arrest resulted in the recovery of 2,700 sachets of Tramadol, highlighting the Command’s ongoing efforts to curb the flow of hard drugs that often fuel criminal activities in local communities.
Beyond curbing kidnapping and hard drugs, the Command reported major successes in curbing vehicle theft.
Detectives attached to the anti-kidnapping unit recovered a Golf III Station Wagon reportedly stolen in the Makere area of Kaduna.
The Detectives arrested three suspected members of a car-snatching syndicate while attempting to deliver a stolen Toyota Corolla to a buyer.
A third vehicle, a Hyundai Sonata, was also recovered after the suspects abandoned it and fled following an operation near Murtala Mohammed Square.
CP Rabiu reassured residents that the Command is committed to sustaining these operations aimed at tackling kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, and other crimes across the State.
The Command urged the public to continue cooperating with security agencies by providing timely information that could lead to the further neutralization of criminal threats to public safety.
