•Recover rifle, live ammunition, food items

Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have arrested a wanted logistic supplier and informant to a kidnapping and banditry group terrorising the FCT and its environs.

The suspect: one Mohammed Hamza aka Auta, 25, was arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping unit of the Command at the Mongoro Forest.

According to the Command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, “The suspect, on the wanted list of the Command, was being held for his involvement in supplying firearms, ammunition and other weapons; food items and illicit drugs to the criminals in their various hideouts in the forests using a motorcycle.

“Exhibits recovered from the suspect include one AK47 rifle and ammunition, one mobile phone, foodstuffs and an unregistered boxer Motorcycle.

“Investigations are being intensified to identify and cut off the criminal supply chain and arrest other members of the gang.

“Similarly, the Command arrested 12 criminal suspects for various crimes, including illegal possession of firearms, illegal fabrication and production of small arms and light weapons, armed robbery, amongst other crimes.

“The suspects- Daniel Williams, 51, Mohammed Yusuf, 41, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi, 26, and Aminu Mohammed, 41, were intercepted and arrested in the Zuba area of the FCT by operatives of the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB).

“Four locally made firearms and one live cartridge were recovered from the suspects. Preliminary investigations by the Police revealed that the gang was involved in fabricating and producing small and light weapons locally.

“Also, operatives of Utako Divisional Police Headquarters on June 7, 2023 at about 7:00p.m., following a tip-off actionable intelligence arrested eight suspected armed robbers at one Amala Garden in Utako.

“Following the arrest, three firearms of different caliber, knives and hard drugs were recovered from them.”

The suspects are: Sani Ibrahim, 41, from Gere LGA of Borno State; Yusuf Ilyasu aka Tablet, an ex-convict, 25, from Plateau State; Awala Lawal an escapee from Kuje prison, 22, of Kano State; Hassan Daudo, 34, from Borno State; Abbass Gidado, 18, from Katsina State; Shamsu Haibu, 35, from Kano; Sani Suleiman, 37, from Kano State and one Shehu Jimoh, an ex-convict, 26, from Kogi State.

“While investigation is ongoing on all cases, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Police Command, CP Haruna G. Garba, wishes to reiterate his resolve to crush crime and criminality in all its manifestation within the FCT, as he warns all criminal elements to steer clear of the FCT and its environs.

“The CP equally enjoined the public to be law abiding, and be vigilant to enable them swiftly render distress/complaints through the following emergency lines- 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883, while the Public Complaint Bureau (PCB) desk, could be reached on- 0902 222 2352,” Adeh said. (The Guardian)

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