Police
The Police Command in Gombe State says it has arrested a suspected kidnapper and rescued three abducted victims, including a two-year-old boy, during a joint security operation.
The Command’s Spokesperson, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Gombe on Thursday.
Abdullahi said the operation was jointly conducted by personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, military, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), vigilante group and hunters.
He said the clearance operation was conducted on Monday around suspected criminal hideouts in Kowagel, Dukku Local Government Area, and parts of Bojude, Kwami Local Government Area.
According to him, the joint security team arrested a suspected notorious kidnapper identified as Manu Alhaji-Sani, 30, of Wawa Village in Funakaye Local Government Area.
He said preliminary investigations showed that the suspect confessed to participating in several kidnapping activities across Dukku, Kwami and Funakaye Local Government Areas.
Abdullahi added that the suspect also confessed to working with other members of his criminal syndicate, who are currently at large.
He said following the suspect’s arrest and confession, the joint operations team intensified its search and clearance activities in the surrounding areas.
According to him, the sustained pressure forced members of the criminal syndicate to abandon three abducted victims, who were subsequently rescued by the security personnel.
The spokesperson identified the rescued victims as 44-year-old Hauwa Sani, Aishatu Sani, 16, and two-year-old Umaru Sani, all residents of Jonde Village in Dukku Local Government Area.
He said the operation also led to the recovery of one Honda motorcycle and three keypad mobile phones, which were secured as exhibits.
Abdullahi said efforts were being intensified to apprehend the fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal network operating across the affected local government areas.
In another development, he said the command arrested a 37-year-old man with 2,500 sachets of 100mg Tramadol capsules, adding that the suspect and exhibits were in police custody while investigation continued.
