The Yobe State Police Command has arrested a 30-year-old Usmanu Garba over his alleged involvement in kidnapping at Katarko Village in Gujba local government area of the state.
Police Public Relations Officer, in the state, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim in a statement on Saturday in Damaturu said at about 1300hrs on July 5, 2024, detectives from the State Intelligent Department (SID) arrested Garba while on his way to spend his share of a proceeds of a kidnapping operation.
According to the statement, the suspect is a member of a gang specialised in armed robbery, kidnapping, and cattle rustling in Gujba and neighbouring towns.
DSP Abdulkarim added that the gang was responsible for the recent kidnapping incident which occurred in Babaram Muktum, a Fulani settlement in Gujba LGA, where the gang kidnapped a resident and collected a ransom of N1.6 million.
He added that the victim’s father was also robbed of his Techno mobile phone before releasing the victim.
Abdulkarim said other syndicate members are on the run, and the command is intensifying efforts to apprehend them.
He noted that the suspect has confessed to the crime and is cooperating with detectives as the investigation deepens.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has directed personnel to intensify efforts to hunt down and arrest criminal elements in their enclaves as the Command recorded another significant success in dislodging a kidnapping syndicate.
CP Ahmed urged members of the public to be vigilant and report suspicious movements, activities, and events.
He also advised public to be discreet with their personal affairs and not to disclose or exhibit their earnings in the public.
The Command further assured that no crime will go unpunished if reported, stressing on the need for the people to always report any suspicious activities to the nearest authorities.
