Operatives of the Nasarawa State Police Command have arrested five suspected kidnappers who had been disturbing the peace of residents of the state.
They also rescued two victims who were recently abducted by the suspects in the Wamba Local Government Area of the state while combing the area.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, disclosed in Lafia, the state capital, on Wednesday while parading 26 suspects arrested for various crimes across the 13 local government areas of the state.
He said, “Based on credible intelligence, on May 23, 2023, around 4pm, a team of riot policemen attached to Operation Restore Peace, stormed a kidnappers’ hideout located at Ambaka village of the Farin Ruwa Development Area in the Wamba Local Government Area of the state.
“They were able to rescue two kidnap victims who had been held hostage for some time now, and arrested five kidnappers namely: Sale Adamu, 34, Idi Halilu, 27, Abdul Sale, 20, Mallam Gambo, 48, and Goma Halilu, 20, all males of Ambaka village.
“The suspects have confessed to being responsible for a series of kidnappings at Ambaka village and environs.”
Also, the PPRO paraded 13 suspected cultists who had been harassing and intimidating residents of the Karu Local Government Area of the state.
He added, “Recently, based on a tip-off, police detectives attached to Masaka Division raided a hideout of Neo-Black Knowledge cult group located at Koya Village, Masaka, Karu Local Government Area, where the following suspects namely: Michael Felix, Gabriel Seth, Gideon Gambo, Michael Dauda, Sule Angel, Adingu Favour, Phillip Joseph, Adeboye Babatunde, Victor Abire, Patrick Joe, Ambrose Thankgod, Israel Joel and Usman Jibrin, were arrested.
“A thorough search was conducted on them and one locally-fabricated pistol, three 9mm live ammunition, two axes, and charms were recovered from them as exhibits.”
While warning all criminals to leave the state, Nansel said the state Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Baba, had directed that the suspects should be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia for a thorough investigation into their cases, after which, they would be charged to court.
