Bauchi Police Kill 6 Suspected Kidnappers, Recover N4m

Police officers in Bauchi State, collaborating with local hunter groups, have killed six suspected kidnappers who terrorised Bauchi communities in the Ningi Local Government Area.

LEADERSHIP learned that during the operation, the police also recovered N4,580,000 from the kidnappers’ hideout after a gunfight.

The neutralised suspects were allegedly responsible for the deaths of over eight people, including two traditional rulers, in the Kada and Gamiji communities of Burra District, Ningi, in July of this year.

Auwal Musa Mohammed, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, disclosed this during a press conference in Ningi on Wednesday.

“You may recall that in July 2023, eight (8) people, including the traditional rulers of Kada and Gamji villages in Ningi Local Government Area, were killed, and other residents were kidnapped to unknown destinations,” he said.

“Consequently, the Command formed a team of detectives, along with the Ahmed Ali Kwara hunter group, and successfully engaged the kidnappers/bandits in a gunfight on December 26, 2023, at approximately 0403 hours, neutralising six (6) of them.”

The Commissioner of Police listed the recovered exhibits as two AK47 rifles; 55 live ammunition rounds; four empty magazines; a Golf-3 model taxi; seven new Airtel SIM cards; three Tecno keypad phones; two iTEL keypad phones; and one Bontel keypad phone.

CP Mohammed added that some suspected stolen items recovered from the deceased suspects include seven Tecno Android phones; four Infinix Android phones; four Tecno keypad phones; 24 mobile batteries; 190 pieces of recharge cards for MTN and Airtel networks.

Mohammed stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the bandits, within two weeks, invaded three villages around Ningi: Bukutumbe, Iyayi, Kayadda, and Gamji village. They shot four people, killed one member of the vigilante group in Bukutumbe, and proceeded to Kiyawa Local Government Area, Jigawa State, where they kidnapped two wives of the Kiyawa LGA Chairman.

“It’s noteworthy that the Command’s success can be attributed to the strategic review of its operations through a robust partnership with the Ahmed Ali Kwara hunter group headquartered in Azare town,” he said.