The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a group of five persons suspected to be members of a kidnapping syndicate along the Bodinga-Tambuwal Highway in Sokoto state.
Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi disclosed this in a Thursday statement.
He identified – Abdullahi Ali, Aliyu Mohammed, Abdullahi Umar, Aliyu Abdullahi and Mohammed Anas – all confessed to the crime and revealed they were on their way to Tambuwal for a kidnapping operation before being thwarted by the men of the Nigeria Police Force.
The police spokesman said that operatives of the Sokoto State Police Command, acting on gathered intelligence, intercepted and arrested the suspects at about 8:30pm on Tuesday, February 13.
Adejobi said the suspects were found in possession of three AK-47, 90 rounds of live ammunition, and 3 AK-47 magazines.
According to Adejobi, the arrest of the suspects was in continuation of the fight against armed bandits, criminals, and insecurity in Nigeria.
“Similarly, on the 14th of February 2024, at about 5.50pm, some suspected bandits were spotted close to Gigane Village, Sokoto State, and were immediately pursued by operatives of the State Tactical Team.
“Upon contact, the bandits engaged the operatives in a fierce gun duel, and some of them were neutralized, while one GPMG rifle with six (6) live ammunition was recovered at the scene.
“Efforts are intensified to locate other fleeing members of the gang and criminally minded elements in the state and cause them to face the wrath of the law,” he said.