Kaduna police foil kidnap attempt, arrest cattle rustlers, gun runners

Security operatives have foiled a kidnap attempt and arrested two cattle rustlers and gun runners in Kaduna State.

The police said that a victim of an attempted kidnap, who was threatened by terrorists via telephone to pay a ransom of N10 million, was saved from the bandits.

The spokesman of the police in the state, ASP Mansir Hassan, in a statement on Sunday, said, “On August 22, 2024, one Shafiu Abdullahi reported to Operation Fushin Kada that he had been receiving threatening phone calls demanding 10 million naira, with the callers threatening to kidnap him if the ransom was not paid.”

Hassan said the Tracking and Response Team immediately took action, using advanced techniques to locate and apprehend the suspects.

The suspects arrested are Umar Baso, Shehu Filani, and Babangida Abdulkarim, all residents of Soba and Kajuru Local Government Areas, Kaduna State.

The spokesman added the suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime during interrogation, providing detailed accounts of their actions.

Also on August 22, 2024, police operatives, acting on credible intelligence, conducted a successful raid on a hideout used by a notorious syndicate involved in the rustling of cattle from innocent farmers in the Kasuwan Magani area of Kujama, Kaduna.

According to Hassan, during the operation, the police apprehended two suspects: Aminu Saleh, a 25-year-old male, and Jafar Ibrahim, a 24-year-old male.

He added: “During interrogation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime and revealed that they had been working with four other syndicate members who are currently at large.

“Additionally, on August 24, 2024, operatives arrested two suspects involved in supplying arms and ammunition to kidnappers operating in Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara States. The suspects, identified as Dahiru Liman, a 47-year-old from Garin Kurama Village, Lere LGA, Kaduna State, and Sani Abdullahi Makeri, a 45-year-old from Kankara LGA, Katsina State, were apprehended with one fabricated AK-47 rifle and five rounds of 9mm live ammunition recovered during the operation.”

The police spokesman added that the suspects confessed to the crime and their long-term involvement in other illegal activities.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Ali Dabigi, calls on the public to stay vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activities to strengthen the collective effort to maintain security across the state.

He reassures residents that the command is unwavering in its commitment to dismantling criminal networks and safeguarding the well-being of all citizens.