Police operatives have arrested 12 kidnappers, gunrunners, and recovered arms in Taraba, Kaduna and across several states.
Force spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, attributing the arrest to intelligence gathering.
Adejobi stated that on April 25, 2025, operatives of the FID Special Tactical Squad (STS) in collaboration with operatives of the Taraba State Police command, local hunters and vigilante groups arrested four suspected kidnappers in Mararaban Abbare, Lau Local Government Area while they were planning an operation.
The suspects, identified as Shehu Ibrahim, Abdullahi Haruna, Yusuf Bello, and Mohammed Bako, were found in possession of 2 AK-49 rifles, 1 AK-47 rifle, six magazines, and 45 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.
Prior to this arrest, the operatives had earlier received intelligence on a group of kidnapping gang terrorizing Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna States.
A successful raid conducted at the hideout of this gang led to the arrest of five suspected kidnappers, the statement read.
The police identified the suspects as Sulaiman Mohammed, Tijjani Bello, Muhammed Umar, Adamu Ibrahim, Solomon Nathaniel, and Haruna Adamu, while three AK-47 rifles, 1 AK-49 rifle, and four AK-47 magazines were found on them.
In a similar development, on April 17, 2025, acting on intelligence, police operatives attached to Kaduna State Command apprehended one Isa Ibrahim, a suspected kidnapper, who confessed to relocating to Kaduna to establish a new gang after his accomplices were arrested in Kwara State.
Adejobi stated that on the same date, operatives of the Kaduna State Command mobilised a patrol team to Lamido village, Lere LGA, where two suspected kidnappers, Sani Liman and Murtala Magaji, were apprehended and both suspects confessed to involvement in kidnapping activities in the area.
On April 18, 2025, police operatives of the state, acting on received information about the activities of suspected gun runners, arrested 2 suspects identified as Bajo Badun and Magaji Abdullahi, who were found in possession of two fabricated AK-47 rifles and later arrested one Ishiyaku Ali, along the Kauru-Pambegua Road of the state in possession of two locally-fabricated rifles and a long chain concealed in a sack, he added.
He said that the suspects will be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded.
