Twenty-one suspected criminal including kidnappers, armed robbers and a masquerade that have been terrorising the people of the state in recent time have been paraded by the Kogi State command of the Nigeria Police, on Tuesday
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Williams Aya, who paraded the suspects at headquarters of the command in Lokoja, the state capital, alleged that one of the suspects in the guise of celebrating masquerade festival stabbed one Ishak Yusuf to death.
He said the suspect, Shaibu Musa of Okene town in Okene Local Government Area and eight others that were at large conspired and in the disguise of celebrating Ekhechi masquerade festival brought out the Obiede masquerade to terrorise the people.
He said in the process, the masquerade engaged the deceased in a fight and stabbed him to death.
Aya, however, said although the suspect denied taking part in the fight during which the deceased was killed, he admitted that in the said date, he together with his colleagues, now at large, attended the Obiedu masquerade festival at about 11.00 p.m.
Apart from this, the command also paraded three suspects, Lawal Jale, Abubakar Isah and Haruna Iliyasu, over attempted conspiracy to kidnap a brother to one of the suspects.
He said Jale of Fulani camp of Obajana invited his friends from Katsina State to kidnap and assassinate his brother, Mu’azu Yahaya, adding that they were arrested in the process of carrying out the act.
Aya stated that another suspect, Aliu Umar, was arrested in connection with the kidnapping of Usman Waziri of Fulani camp, Ogale in Ijumu Local Government Area of the state in July.
He said after kidnapping the victim, they demanded for N1 million ransom and subsequently released him after the payment of the ransom.