The Kaduna State Police Command said on Wednesday that it had arrested 50 suspects allegedly involved in various criminal activities across the state and recovered 27 guns.
The command also said it was negotiating with abductors of the six female students, a teacher and a matron, taken from their school on Oct. 3.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Ali Janga said at a news conference in Kaduna that the police opted to talk to the kidnappers so as not to put the lives of the girls at risk.
The six girls and two staffers of Engravers College were abducted on Thursday night.
Janga disclosed that among the 50 suspects arrested were those who abducted a prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Algarkawi and a member of the state assembly, Suleiman Dabo as well as students of Ahmadu Bello University.
“It may interest you to note that, most of the suspects confessed to being responsible for terrorizing our highways, and kidnapping of Sheik Ahmad Algarkawi, killing of three Operatives of IGP’S Intelligent Response Team (IRT) in 2018 and recent kidnapping of ABU students and Hon. Suleiman Dabo.”
According to him, the arrest of the suspects was the result of a carefully planned and coordinated operation carried out by the command.
The suspects are being held for kidnapping, armed banditry, cattle rustling, rape, culpable homicide, theft and receiving stolen properties.
Among exhibits recovered were 20 AK47 rifles, one assault rifle, three Beretta pistols, three locally made pistols, 135 live ammunition, four vehicles, one Tricycle.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan who was at the briefing,
urged people of state to volunteer information to the police in order to ease their work.
“I call on the media to also do the needful by enlightening the public that police are partners in progress,” he said.