The Police in Bauchi have arrested 185 armed robbers, kidnappers and other criminals including two suspects who impersonate the state governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed, and defrauded innocent citizens to a total of N37million allegedly as payment for the 2019 Hajj pilgrimage.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Habu Sani, disclosed this on Monday when he paraded the suspects and other criminals at police headquarters in Bauchi.
He said one of the suspects identified as Sukni Zakka acted as the personal assistant (PA) to the governor while the other Iliyasu Ibrahim alias “Du” acted as the governor during phone conversation with their victims.
CP Sani said the impostor PA usually lures his unsuspecting victims and defrauds them by putting a call to the impostor governor which in return answered the call and assured them a Hajj slot.
“They defrauded innocent members of the public to the sum N37million in the name of payment for 2019 Hajj pilgrimage,” he said.
He added that the command’s tactical teams attached to Operation Puff Adder had between the months of August and September, 2019 arrested the other suspects in connection with armed robbery, kidnapping, cattle rustling, Babeli activities, vandalism and theft of electric cable.
The police boss noted that out of one 185 suspects arrested, 138 were charged to court while 47 are still in the command’s custody undergoing investigation.
He added that during the operations the command recovered the following exhibits including four AK-47 rifles, one pistol, one locally made sub machine gun and 17 assorted firearms, 65 live ammunition, 5 cartridges 6 pellets, 42 machetes, 4 motor vehicles, 8 motorcycles and 1 tricycle, among others.
The police commissioner assured the people of the state that the command will not relent in performing its statutory responsibility of protecting lives and property of all citizens and appealed for more useful information that will lead to achieving its onerous task in maintaining peace in the state.
In a chat with newsmen, the impersonator, 33 years old Iliyasu Ibrahim, who is a resident of Jos, Plateau state confessed to the crime.
“I am acting on the instructions of my friend, who is the Personal Assistant (PA). He is the one that introduces me to the issues of intending pilgrimage and initially I told him I am afraid of acting as governor of Bauchi state but he insisted.
“When the PA get the people, he call me from Jos and I reside in his house here in Bauchi where I received phone calls from victims as the governor. I don’t change my voice and usually I told our clients to exercise patients about going to Hajj and directed them to discuss with the PA. I am regretting my action and pleading for mercy,” Iliyasu narrated.
On his part, the PA simply identified as Zakka, a resident of Dangi, Plateau state, noted that the genesis of the pilgrimage issue emanated from one Alhaji Idris who asked him to find government sponsor Hajj seats especially the ones on sale by state legislators.
“The Hajj seat is N1.5million and he want me find the government Hajj seat at N600,000 and I collected N600,000 from nine people and N15,000 from 28 people to help them get government sponsored seats.
“I am a former aide to Governor Bala Muhammed when he was a senator and minister of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja but we are no longer together when he become the governor of Bauchi state,” Zakka said.
