… parades 34 suspects, recover 11 grenades, tracking devices, others
By Hassan Zaggi
The Nigeria Police Force has warned motor park operators to be vigilant as kidnappers have devised a new way of operating from the parks.
The Force Spokesman, Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police (CP), gave the warning while parading 34 suspected criminals including two women in Abuja, Tuesday.
The suspects were nabbed by the operatives attached to Special Tactical Squad (STS) for various offences including kidnapping, cattle rustling, cross border car snatching, gun-running and armed robbery.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects include 11 Grenades, five teargas, two AK-47 rifles and other assorted weapon.
The Force Spokesman explained that kidnappers are now using designated motor parks as their operational centres in all states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
“Kidnappers would go to a designated motor park where they would load passengers and depart the park innocently and then would establish communication with other members of their kidnapping gang about their movements
“The passengers unknowingly to them would continue the journey only for the driver to stop the vehicle at the agreed point where all the passengers would be kidnapped and the driver would be set free,” Mba revealed.
According to him, the Police became aware of the new trick following the arrest of a 25- years-old Kano-based, Basiru Sule whose gang members were operating on highways in the Northeast and North West Zones of the country
He, therefore, called on motor park operators across the country to note the new development and be careful in ensuring that they collaborate with the Police so as to check the activities of their members and other criminal elements disguising as drivers.
The Police, CP Mba vowed, will not leave any stone unturned in ensuring that other members of the kidnap gang are arrested and brought to book.
Among those paraded were an 11- man kidnapping gang which include two females as members. The gang is said to be led by one Mallam Musa Ibrahim, which is operating in Abuja and Kaduna before they were arrested.
The two women, Mba stated, played vital roles in the movements of the kidnappers’ weapons because of their gender and mode of dressing as they usually concealed weapons under their dresses.
A gang of trans-border car snatchers who spealized in snatching exotic cars in Nigeria and move them to neighbouring countries of Chad and the Niger Republic was also among those paraded.
The Force Spokesman said that 15 sophisticated cars mainly of Toyota products, two communication jammers , ECOWAS documents and other incriminating items were recovered from the suspects.
Mba, therefore appealed to members of the public, especially, residents of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, and other states in the north whose cars were missing to come over to Abuja to check the recovered cars, assuring that those who identify their cars with proof of ownership will get such cars released to them.
