Kaduna state Police Command has arrested a Village Head in Chikun Local Government Area of the state for allegedly working for kidnappers.
The Village Head was among the 39 other suspects paraded by the Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo Abubakar, on Thursday.
Other suspects include a gang that killed two of their abductees after collecting N2.8 million ransom and two suspects linked with the recent kidnap of six female students and two teachers of Engravers College, Kaduna.
Speaking on the suspects, the police spokesman, DSP Sabo, said the village head of Ungwan Luka, Samaila Luka, works for kidnappers by giving them information and collecting share after taking ransom to them.
He said the kidnappers whom the village head worked with killed a policeman after taking ransom.
Meanwhile, Luka while fielding questions from newsmen denied working for kidnappers, though he confessed being paid twice out of the three times he had taken ransom to the kidnappers.
According to him, “I have helped people to take ransom to the kidnappers three times. The first time, the kidnappers rewarded me with N100,000; the second time, they gave me N50,000, but the third time, they didn’t give me anything.
“I know nothing about the policemen the kidnappers killed. God and the police woman who was released are my witnesses. When I took the ransom to them, that was the third time I took ransom to the kidnappers, but after taking it, they refused to give me the policeman.
“Me and the other police woman cried and begged them, but they refused, they said, the policeman used to insult them. That day, they even collected my phone and they didn’t give me money that day,” he said.
Though, he confessed that, he never reported to police that kidnappers gave him share of the ransom, Luka said, he never knew the kidnappers before.
However, DSP Sabo said Kaduna has some peculiar security challenges amongst which are; armed banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes against law abiding citizens of the state.
“However, we have succeeded in reducing these crimes within our towns, villages and to a large extent on our major highways.
“Recently, the Command has been relatively calm, as the bandits can no longer carry out any coordinated attack largely due to our strategic deployment as well as the public support we receive which forced the criminals to resort to soft targets at outskirts and hamlets where there are no firm security structures.
“The Command has intensified efforts towards ensuring safety and security of the populace through some coordinated raiding of criminal hideouts by our gallant Operatives and the IGP’s Special Tactical Squad (STS) and IRT as well as active Community Engagement Initiative in line with the Inspector General of Police mandate on Community Policing.
“These efforts have gained some remarkable results which led to the arrest of thirty nine (39) suspected criminals comprising of largely suspected Kidnappers, Armed Bandits, Armed Robbers, Culpable Homicide suspects, Cattle Rustlers and Internet Fraudsters, among others.
“Some of these suspects confessed to series of kidnapping within and outside the state including the killing of Police personnel and two other victims at Kangimi after collecting some million Naira as ransom.
“We also recovered ten (10) AK47 Rifles, four (4) Pump Action, two (2) Locally Made Pistols, one (1) Locally Made Gun, 154 live Ammunition, seventeen (17) Cartridges, four (4) vehicles, four (4) Motorcycles and host of other recoveries.
“In view of the successes recorded and the drastic reduction in crime rate in the Command within the period under review, we cannot afford to relent in our effort to sustain the gains.
“I therefore, reiterate my call to the general public to continue to be supportive of the Police in various ways they can, to ensure peace and stability of businesses and the social environment in the state,” he said.
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