Operatives of the Nigeria Police Special Tactical Squad have arrested a nine-man syndicate of high-profile kidnappers that specialises in the abduction of travellers on major highways in North West Nigeria.
The suspects were paraded on Tuesday by the spokesman of the police, Commissioner of Police Frank Mba.
The suspects: Bashir Sule, 25-years-old; Abubakar Haruna, 30-years-old; Babangida Bature, 25-years-old; Aliyu Idris, 24-years-old; Adam Jafar, 26-years-old; Usman Idris, 24-years-old; Yusuf Idris, 45-years-old; Sale Musa, 25-years-old; and Umar Sale, 22-years-old, were arrested following investigations by the Police team, which uncovered plans by the syndicate to carry out a major abduction of travellers along the Kano-Katsina Expressway.
Police investigations revealed that the modus operandi of the syndicate involved the principal suspect, Bashir Sule, taking a commuter bus to a motor park, acting as a driver, to convey passengers.
Sule, while driving to the expected destination, stops at an agreed meeting point where his other gang members swoop in, attack, rob and abduct the passengers.
The criminals thereafter contact the families of the victims for ransom before their release.
Investigations further revealed that Sule sometimes joins commuter buses as a passenger and in the course of the journey provides information to his other gang members who then lie in wait for the innocent co-travellers.
Sule in both instances, acts as a victim who barely escaped the attack.
Similarly, the police team arrested an 11-man notorious gang for their involvement in series of violent crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery, illegal possession and illicit sale of prohibited firearms.
The gang, which has two female members: Hafsat Adamu, 24, and Aisha Ibrahim, 30, rely on these women to transport their weapons from one point to another, taking advantage of the innocuous look and sentiments associated with their gender.
In the same vein, the Police also arrested a trans-national car theft syndicate that specialises in stealing cars from Nigeria and smuggling same to Niger Republic and other neighbouring countries.
A total of 15 cars were recovered from the suspects.
Also recovered were two jamming devices which aid the suspects in moving the stolen vehicles undetected.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, while reiterating the commitment of the Force to the protection of lives and property in the country, called on motor park operators to ensure adequate screening of their drivers and vehicle owners before permitting them to operate in their motor parks.
The IGP noted that 34 suspects, including 32 male and two female were arrested.
Eleven high-calibre grenades, 11 sophisticated firearms, 15 stolen cars, two vehicle jammers, 389 AK-47 ammunition amongst others were recovered from the suspects.
All the suspects will be charged to court on conclusion of investigations.
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