Police Arrest 34 High-Profile Kidnappers, Trans-Border Car Thieves

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Special Tactical Squad have arrested a nine-man syndicate of high-profile kidnappers that specializes in abducting travellers on major highways in the North-Western Nigeria.

Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, who broke the news to journalists in Abuja, named the suspects as: Bashir Sule, 25,; Abubakar Haruna, 30; Babangida Bature, 25; Aliyu Idris, 24; Adam Jafar, 26; Usman Idris, 24; Yusuf Idris, 45; Sale Musa, 25; and Umar Sale, 22.

According to Mba, the suspects were busted while they a major operation (abduction of travelers) along the Kano-Katsina expressway.

The PPRO spoke on the modus operandi of the syndicate which involves the principal suspect, Bashir Sule, taking a commuter bus to a motor park, posing as a driver, soliciting passengers. Bashir, while driving to the expected destination, would stop at a predetermined point where his gang members would swoop on the hapless passengers, robbing them blind before abducting them.

Thereafter Mba continued, the criminals would contact the families of the victims demanding ransom for their release.

“Investigations further revealed that the principal suspect, Bashir, 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. Bashir in both instances, acts as a victim who barely escapes the attack.”

‘Similarly,” the police spokesman said,   “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 specializes in stealing cars from Nigeria and smuggling same to Niger Republic and other neighbouring countries. A total of fifteen (15) cars were recovered from the suspects. Also recovered were two (2) jamming devices which aid the suspects in moving the stolen vehicles undetected.”

On the arrests and arms recovery, Mba quoted the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, as reiterating the Force’s commitment to the protection of lives and property in the country/ The IGP, the PPRO continued, urged motor park operators to ensure adequate screening of their drivers and vehicle owners before permitting them to operate in their jurisdiction.

The IGP noted that 34 suspects, including 32 males and 2 females 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, Mba said.