The Bauchi State police command has arrested 12 suspected kidnappers, including their informants, at Burra forest in Ningi Local Government Area of the state.
The commissioner of police in the state, Auwal Musa Muhammad, who paraded the suspects alongside other criminals at its headquarters in Bauchi, said the command arrested six of the suspects, four men and two women on July 2.
He named the suspects as Hamisu Umaru, Ahmadu Abdullahi, Adamu Wada Tela, Usman Iliya, Rabi Tela Abdulmumini, and Hajara Bello, saying the command’s operations led to the dismantling of the kidnappers’ hideout at Burra forest.
He said some of the suspected kidnappers were gunned down while others fled with wounds when the police team overpowered them with superior gunfire.
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Muhammad added that five kidnapped victims were rescued, among them, the Mai Unguwan Kayel under Balma district, three Fulani men from Kurmi with their three motorcycles and a woman and her child from Kurmi village. They were said to have been reunited with their respective families.
He further disclosed that on July 31, another operation led to the rescue of five different kidnapped victims at another kidnappers’ enclave in Burra forest, Ningi Local Government Area.
He said. “Two suspected kidnappers were arrested, while 70 cows, 60 sheep and goats suspected to be rustled were also recovered.”
The commissioner added that the command arrested suspected cattle rustlers terrorising Ningi and beyond.
He said the police acted on a tipoff and arrested Abdullahi Ahmadu, 22 and recovered cows.
The cop said the suspect, along with his accomplice, Abubakar Ahmed, 45, who was killed by mob action, trespassed into the house of Haruna Idi, 23, of Zahi village via Burra village and beat the occupant to an unconscious condition and made away with his cows.
Muhammad also said police detectives, in conjunction with the Nigerian Army, arrested four suspects at Kongoro community. He named the suspects as Rahane Abubakar, Habu Tukur, Mohammed Rabiu and Idris Haruna.
“In addition, on August 2, at 8am, intelligence at the command’s disposal revealed that some unknown bandits launched an attack at Tabia and Kongoro axis and operatives moved to the scene and killed two of the bandits and evacuated the corpse from the mountain and deposited them at Ningi General Hospital mortuary. The operatives recovered N300,000 from them,” he said.
