Arrest for ransom: How police are extorting Fulani villagers in Kano

The police have been accused of illegal arrest and extortion of innocent citizens, mostly nomadic Fulani in Kano state.

Some of the victims who spoke on a local radio programme monitored by our Correspondent alleged that the police officers normally come from Abuja to Kano in the name of special assignments but sometimes end up moving into Fulani villages where they arrest locals during their market days for no reason.

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Freedom Radio in its Hausa audience participatory programme ‘Inda Ranka’ reports that the visiting officers carry out the alleged arrests in connivance with their counterparts from the police command in the state.

The report also claimed that some of the victims of the arrests are usually kept at Kwakwaci, Dala and Sharada divisions in Kano where their families are made to pay heavy amounts of money to secure their release from custody.

One of the victims, Abubakar Garba, said on the radio station programme, monitored by our reporter that he was arrested at Kwanar Dangora market where he went to sell his cattle and he was detained for 21 days at Kwakwachi police station before securing his bail after paying the sum of N320, 000.

Garba alleged that N95, 000 he made from the sales of his cattle was earlier collected from him by the operatives that arrested him.

“I sold my cattle N95, 000 at Kwanar Dangora and just as I was to leave the market a police officer called Abdu Barumi arrested me and when I asked what was my offence he said I abused him and from there they started beating me.

“Someone said I should just keep quiet and I did. I have N95,000 with me and he collected it and put it inside his cap.

“I was taken to Kwakwachi police station where we spent N320, 000 to gain my freedom back after 21 days,” Garba said.

Another victim, Abubakar Dan Hadejia said that he paid N1.05 million after spending 22 days in police captivity at the same Kwakwachi police station without any reason.

“I was at home one morning when someone called me that I should come to the main road. When I got there, they arrested me and said they are taking me to Abuja but they later kept me at Kwakwaci for 22 days. They accused me of having a gun and that if I go back home I should cooperate with them.

“The collected N620,000 from me and later in the morning they collected N400,000 at home after releasing me, and the day they arrested me there was N36,000 with me,” he added.

When Daily Trust contacted the spokesman of Kano police command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, he said, “The police commissioner, CP Habu A. Sani had since ordered investigation into the matter and from that investigation we found that that the person who was arrested, Abdullahi Jarumi is not a police officer.

“Two people, Namewuya and Alhaji Idi were also arrested in connection to the crime, they work together to collect money from the victims and we get N380,000 from them. Upon hearing that these two were arrested, Abdullahi Jarumi run away and we are now working on his arrest,” he said.