The Zamfara State Police Command says it has arrested one Sani Boka of Masama village in Gummi Local Government Area of the state, who allegedly killed his brother-in-law and kidnapped his own sister.
Parading the suspect at the Command headquarters in Gusau on Monday, the Commissioner of Police, Usman Nagogo, disclosed that Sani Boka had confessed to his crime.
Nagogo said the suspect was recognised by his sister during the operation and told the police that he was among those who kidnapped her and her partner.
He said: “This disclosure led to the arrest of the suspect, which also led to the arrest of the whole gang members who specialised in kidnapping and armed robbery.
“The gang broke into the house of Alhaji Umar Ibrahim at the neighbouring Dan-Awo village on the March 1, 2020, killed Alhaji Umar and kidnapped the two wives of the deceased over whom they later collected N1.8 million as ransom before releasing the two women.
“Sani Boka, who was also a friend to the deceased, along with members of the gang had also during the attack made away with the sum of N200,000.”
Nagogo, who gave the names of the other alleged gang members as Alhaji Kabiru Lawali, Kabiru Sani, Sani Umar, Abubakar Yakubu and Aminu Abubakar, said some kidnappers now reside among their victims and charged residents to be wary.
Similarly, the CP said the police had on March 3 arrested a gang of three: Usman Bala, Umar Abubakar and Kabiru Abdullahi, who specialised as bandits informants.
He said the suspects had written letters to three prominent persons in Nasarawa village, threatening to burn down the village if the prominent individuals failed to pay them N100 million.
Nagogo said the gang was arrested through a mobile phone they used in contacting the District Head of Nasarawa, Alhaji Aminu Bello, who alerted the police of the development.
He said the police arrested another gang of two suspects, Badamasi Aminu and Rabiu Ibrahim, who posed as spirits and direct their unsuspecting victims to give them Nigerian naira while they would make them US Dollar rich.
He said the suspects were arrested when they tried to collect the money dropped at a fuelling station in Gusau.
Nagogo said all the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation were concluded.
