Bethel Baptist School Abduction: Police Arrest 3 Key Suspects

The Nigeria Police Force has announced that operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) have arrested three of the key suspects in the abduction of students of Bethel Baptist High School, Maraban Damishi, Kaduna.

Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, revealed the suspects as including Ishaku Lawal, Muazu Abubakar and Adam Bello.

According to Mba, investigations by the police team revealed how the principal suspect, Muazu Abubakar a.k.a Datti, ‘m’, 27, carried out surveillance of the Bethel Baptist School and strategized with his other gang members before they attacked and kidnapped the students.

Ishaku Lawal, another suspect arrested in connection with the crime, revealed how a suspect, one Ahmadu a.k.a Yellow, provided the firearms and ammunition that they used for the operation. One AK47 rifle was recovered from each of the suspects.

Investigations into the case is still ongoing, Mba said.

Also in police net is what Mba described as “a prolific highway robbery syndicate” that have been linked to at least 50 armed robbery attacks along major highways in the South West region of the country.

The leader of the gang, one Mohammed Mode, a.k.a Basullube, from Gugu in Kwara State, confessed to the Police team how he masterminded and led other gang members to execute a series of highway robberies before they eventually met their waterloo.

The gang members include: Abdullahi Mohammed from Ogbomoso, Oyo State; Musa Adamu from Otte Vilage, Kwara State; and Abdullahi Ali from Orita Gambari in Oyo State. They are all within the age bracket of 21 and 27 years.

Similarly, Police investigations into the recent spate of break-ins and theft in places of worship in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and contiguous States to the FCT, led to the arrest of three members of a gang that specialized in theft of musical instruments from churches.

The suspects reportedly told the Police team how they broke into over fifty churches with thee FCT, and cart away valuables.

Mba named the suspects as Monday Akawu, 39, whose stock-in-trade  is to impersonate personnel of the Nigerian Army to enable the gang move the stolen items to their intended criminal receivers; and Joseph Orazulike, 35, who is the alleged receiver of the stolen items. Over 30 specialized musical equipment and other electronic gadgets stolen from different churches were recovered from the suspects, said Mba.

IGP Elated 

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mr.Usman Alkali Baba, has charged police operatives across the country to sustain the tempo in the ongoing execution of Operation Restore Peace.

A release issued in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, said the IGP expressed satisfaction with the progress of the special operation, noting that it had remarkably assisted in rolling back violent crimes in the country.

Baba, Mba continued, commended police operatives for the recent arrest of 50 suspected notorious criminals engaged in kidnapping, banditry, unlawful possession of firearms, trading in illicit drugs, amongst others.

Twenty-six sophisticated firearms, including 13 AK47 rifles, four SMGs, four locally made revolver rifles, as well as 2720 ammunition of different calibres were shown to the media as some of the exhibits recovered from the suspects.

All the suspects will be charged to court on completion of investigations, Mba concluded.