A statement signed by Mr. Jimoh Moshood, Force Public Relations Officer, said the suspects were caught with one AK-47 rifle, two locally made pistols, 30 rounds of live ammunition, one magazine, two pieces of military camouflage, three cutlasses and charms.
The Nigeria Police Force, on Thursday, paraded seven suspects alleged to have been responsible for a series of abductions for ransom, cattle rustling and robberies on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway. The suspects were paraded at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Among them were 45-year old Ibrahim Gurgu, Abdulazeez Idris, 40; Shuaibu Ibrahim, AKA Kadi, 29; and Ibrahim Isiyaku, 30. Others were Usman Datti, 30; Kabiru Musa, 27; and Haruna Umar, 24.
A statement signed by Mr. Jimoh Moshood, Force Public Relations Officer, said the suspects were caught with one AK-47 rifle, two locally made pistols, 30 rounds of live ammunition, one magazine, two pieces of military camouflage, three cutlasses and charms.
Their arrest, the Police explained, was a result of concerns arising from rampant kidnappings, robberies and other violent crimes on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway. These crimes provoked a reaction from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr. Ibrahim K. Idris, who, in June, deployed an additional 600 Police personnel to arrest the trend of violent crimes on the road as well as in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger and Kaduna states.
Those deployed were men and officers of the Special Intervention Forces, comprising Intelligent Response Team (IRT), Special Tactical Squad (STS), Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Anti-Kidnapping Units, Police Mobile Force (PMF) and Counter-terrorism Units.
The deployment led to the arrest of the suspects, on 19 June and 8 July, at their hideouts in Gwagwada, Kangimi and Katari villages in Kaduna State. Preliminary investigations, said the Police, revealed that they were responsible for abductions, robberies and cattle rustling on the highway, offenses they allegedly confessed to and for which they will be arraigned in court once investigations are completed.
The Force added that the operations along Abuja-Kaduna Road will be sustained, adding that similar efforts on major highways in the country are also being executed with vigor and will equally be ramped up.
