Police in Niger arrest suspects for kidnapping, killing victims, supplying arms to bandits
The Niger State Police Command has arrested a suspected informant who was allegedly connected with the abduction of four victims and killing of two persons after collecting a ransom of N13 million in the Rafi local government area of the state.
According to reports, the incident happened on 14th November 2021 at about 2 pm when suspected armed bandits invaded Tegina town shooting sporadically and abducting four persons into Kagara forest, including one Aminu Garba and others.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger State Command, DSP Wasiu A. Abiodun, disclosed to newsmen in Minna that upon receipt of the information last year, the Command mobilised and drafted a combined team of the tactical squad comprised of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, FIB tactical squad and vigilante members to the forest.
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He said that due to sustained operational pressure on the hoodlums, two victims later escaped from their abductors while the remaining two including Aminu Garba were still in captivity and later killed by their abductors after collecting N13 million ransom.
Abiodun said that on 29th August 2022, based on technical intelligence, one Nasiru Musa, aged 30 years of Tegina was arrested within the town in connection with the crime and on interrogations the culprit confessed to having conspired with one Lelwi and one Gwaskan-Daji, who are still on the run.
In a related development, the state police paraded one Umar Shehu, aged 31 years of Bakori, Funtua LGA of Katsina State, a notorious arms dealer who supplies arms/ammunition to different bandits’ camps in Katsina, Kaduna and Niger State.
Abiodun explained that the suspect confessed to having supplied arms and ammunition to bandits in Madaki forest Katsina, Ganai camp in Maidaro forest Kaduna and a syndicate member terrorising the Kwamba/Maje area of Suleja.
“He confessed further to have purchased arms from Abdulmani ‘m’ of Taraba State who was neutralised in Kaduna by the FIB squad early this year. He claimed that he got N100,000 (one hundred thousand naira) from every 500 ammunition he delivered to any bandit’s camp. A case under investigation,” the police added.
Abiodun reassured law-abiding Nigerlites of efforts being made to bring all forms of crime and criminality to the barest minimum in the state.
