According to a press statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID–IRT), attached to Kwara State, carried out a “covert operation” in collaboration with the Kwara State Police Command on Friday.
The Nigeria Police Force has announced what it described as a “significant operational breakthrough” with the arrest of two “notorious bandits and kidnapping kingpins” allegedly responsible for violent crimes across Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and Kwara states.
According to a press statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID–IRT), attached to Kwara State, carried out a “covert operation” in collaboration with the Kwara State Police Command on Friday.
The police said the operation led to the interception and arrest of two suspected members of a “dangerous banditry and kidnapping gang” along the Komen–Masallaci axis in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The suspects were identified as Abubakar Usman, also known as Siddi ‘m’, aged 26, and Shehu Mohammadu, also known as Gide ‘m’, aged 30.
The statement noted that both men were arrested in Komen–Masallaci village, Kaiama LGA, at the time of the operation.
Items recovered from the suspects include “one brand new Honda Ace 125 motorcycle, red in colour, valued at ₦1,850,000.00,” which police said was purchased with “proceeds of ransom payments,” as well as “₦500,000.00 cash, being unspent ransom money.”
Also recovered was “one AK-47 rifle with a magazine loaded with 20 rounds of live ammunition.”
The police said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects are members of a gang “terrorising communities across Zamfara, Katsina, Niger and Kwara states,” adding that further findings showed the group also “doubles as suppliers of arms and ammunition to criminal elements.”
The statement added that both suspects are “currently cooperating with investigators” to facilitate the arrest of other members of the syndicate and the recovery of additional weapons.
The Force also recalled that one of the suspects, Abubakar Usman, was “recently identified as the individual seen in a viral video flaunting firearms and large sums of money on social media.”
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was quoted as commending the operatives for their “professionalism and dedication,” while reassuring Nigerians of the Force’s “unwavering commitment to dismantling criminal networks, combating banditry and kidnapping, and ensuring the safety and security of all citizens.”
The police further urged members of the public to “continue to support the Police with timely and credible information” to aid ongoing security operations.