By Hassan Zaggi
The Intelligence Bureau Special Tactical Squad (FIB-STS) of the Nigeria Police Force, has arrested 30 suspects for their involvement in different crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery, arms smuggling, unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, car theft, rape, receiving stolen goods, amongst others.
The FIB-STS equally recovered 8 foreign and 7 locally-made AK47 rifles, 8 revolver rifles, 2,200 rounds of live ammunition of different calibre, 12 AK47 magazines, three stolen cars, 10 fake number plates and 1,880,000 naira cash from the suspects during follow-up investigations.
Speaking while parading the suspects in Abuja, Thursday, the Acting Force Spokesman, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed that notable amongst the cases was the arrest of 36-year-old Ahmed Yunusa, aka “Yellow Ashana”, a leader of a vicious bandit group that has been terrorising communities and road users along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.
The suspect who, the Force Spokesman, said has been on the run following a police operation that led to the death of a member of his syndicate -Yellow Magaji aka Arushe, was arrested during a sting operation by police operatives of the FIB-STS.
“The suspect confessed that he led the syndicate which has carried out several kidnapping operations on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, and launched three different attacks on Kadara Community in Kaduna State, wherein scores of persons were killed.
“He equally confessed to the kidnap and murder of one Hafsat Isah, who was lured into the bandit camp by her friend, one Ladi Sale that was equally arrested by the police,” the Force Spokesman said.
He noted that one Mrs Nvou Michael, a 37-year-old female from Vom LGA, Plateau State, was intercepted by operatives along Samminaka/Jos expressway, Kaduna State, in possession of 15 locally made rifles and 400 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm AK47 ammunition in a Toyota Hummer bus travelling from Jos, Plateau State to Kaduna State.
“Investigations revealed the suspect was an arms smuggler for some bandit groups in Kaduna State. Similarly, Police operatives arrested one Nuhu Yakubu, a 33-year-old male from Donga, Taraba State, while he was conveying 1,500 AK47 ammunition from Wukari to bandits in the Donga Forest.
The operatives of the FIB-STS equally apprehended the duo of Idris Abdulwahab, 26-year-old, and Adams Ibrahim, 37-year-old, both from Okene, Kogi State, who have been linked to major bank robbery operations at Ondo State, and in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, in 2021, where they killed a security guard.”
CSP Adejobi explained that the suspects who specialize in the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to forcefully gain access into banks for their robbery operations, were intercepted by eagle-eyed police operatives at a check point in Isonu, Kogi State, while heading to Okene from their forest hideout, with N1,880,000 cash.
The Force Spokesman quoted the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, as assuring the nation that the Force would continue to close-up on criminal elements who pose a threat to national security.
The IGP, therefore, called on well-meaning members of the public to readily assist the police with information to effectively combat the purveyors of violent crimes in the society.
