Police in Adamawa have paraded 40 suspects allegedly involved in cattle rustling, kidnapping and culpable homicide.
Parading the suspects at the state police headquarters in Yola on Monday, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Aliyu Adamu, said his command, in collaboration with local hunters, achieved the feat in coordinated operations across the state.
He disclosed that five of the suspects belong to a syndicate perpetuating kidnapping activities across Yola North, Yola South, Fufore, and Mayo Belwa local government areas, that on further investigation, the five were found to be those who kidnapped the district head of Mayo-Farang in Mayo-Belwa local government area last month.
He said three AK47 rifles, one Sharon car, and a sum of N1.1 million were recovered from them.
The police commissioner added that two of the suspects, namely Ali Dankaru, 37 years; and Ahmadu Dajo, also 37; conspired with four others at large and kidnapped one Muhammadu Zakari of Nasarawo Jereng in Mayo-Belwa LGA, collected N550,000 from his family, demanded another ransom of N5 million on condition that the family would pay that up by the next market day of Nasarawo Jereng if the family did not want the man killed.
“We got wind of this, did our discreet investigation and got the suspects arrested, the CP said.
Stating the case of 33 other suspects, CP Aliyu Adamu said they were picked up in different parts of the state in the course of moves by the police to “reclaim public space”.
According to him, operatives of the command and other security agencies were deployed to trace and apprehend “miscreants perpetuating criminal activities” that included kidnapping, cattle rustling, and other acts.
“The command’s anti-kidnapping unit and other tactical units, in compliance with my directives in my maiden address, collaborated with professional hunters being our critical stakeholders in our policing strategy, and deployed to Chigari, Yadim, Wuro-Bokki, Sigire, and Nassarawo Jereng villages of Fufore, Mayo-Belwa, Song, and Mubi LGAs,” he explained.
The Nation