Police gun down 3 kidnappers, rescue victims in Kano forest

The Kano State Police Command says it has gunned down three kidnappers and rescued two people who were abducted in Katsinawa village of Tudun Wada LGA of the state. 

The command’s public relations officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said one locally-made AK-47 rifle and six live ammunition were recovered from the kidnappers.

• Previous census generated controversies due to absence of technology — NPC
• Abuja monarch’s abductors ask family to sell house to raise N20m ransom

The PPRO also said a mob set one of the suspected kidnappers ablaze. 

According to him, the command received a report on Saturday at about 1:30am that gunmen had stormed the residence of one Elisha Aminu of Katsinawa village, Tudun Wada LGA, and kidnapped his two daughters, Zainab Elisha, 18 and Nafisa Elisha,16 and fled toward Falgore Forest.

“On receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, instructed the team of Operation Puff Adder led by SP Kabir Aminu, Divisional Police Officer, Tudun Wada Division and operatives from the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad led by SP Shehu Dahiru to rescue the victims and arrest the culprits.

“The teams simultaneously swung into action with the help of a vigilante group called ‘Yan Bula’. The forest was combed and the gunmen were trapped, as a result, a gun duel erupted lasting for about two hours. 

“Three of the kidnappers were gunned down and the two victims were rescued unhurt with no casualty on the part of the rescue team. 

“One locally made AK-47 rifle with six live ammunition was recovered. An angry mob also set one of the kidnappers ablaze,” the police spokesman said.

Kiyawa added that the bodies of the kidnappers were taken to Tudun Wada General Hospital where a doctor certified them dead. He said the victims had been reunited with their families.

The commissioner of police commended the officers and members of the vigilante for their support and assistance, adding that additional Puff Adder teams have been deployed to the forest for possible arrest.

He warned that criminals had no hiding place in Kano, advising that “they either repent or leave the state completely, as no stone will be left unturned. “They will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.”