Police in Nasarawa State have arrested fake Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives for alleged robbery and abduction.
The suspects are Hyelda Aliyu Ibrahim, Henry Patrick Okwu and Shuaibu Abubakar of Custom Quarters and Up Market area, Masaka in Karu local government area of the state.
The trio were said to be members of alleged criminal syndicate terrorizing off campus students in their lodges in Keffi and Nasarawa town of the state.
A statement by the state police command’s public relations officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel said the police received a distress call on April 17 that four individuals posing as EFCC personnel, using a Toyota Corolla, Green in colour with registration number Abuja YAB 509 TT robbed some students of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa at Samakwe Lodge behind Government College, Nasarawa LGA and Abducted one Adudu Kingsley, an ND II Student of the same Polytechnic.
“Reacting to the unsavoury development, Police operatives gave the suspects a hot chase, and a roadblock was mounted at Laminga junction to stop the suspects from escaping with the victim, but they hit the barrier and fled.
“Furthermore, Police operatives at Anguwan Madugu were contacted to mount another road block, which the suspects sighted from a distance; abandoned their operational vehicle and the abducted student and fled.
“Luck ran out of one of the suspects as he was caught and beaten mercilessly by an angry mob before the arrival of the Police while others fled. The suspect was rescued from the mob by the Police and rushed to Primary Health Care, Laminga, where he died while receiving treatment.
“The operational vehicle of the suspects was recovered and taken to the station where a search was conducted and two identification cards identifying the fleeing members of the syndicate were recovered.
“A follow up investigation into the case led to the arrest of three other members of the gang namely: Hyelda Aliyu Ibrahim, Henry Patrick Okwu and Shuaibu Abubakar (the operational driver of the syndicate) all males of Custom Quarters and Up Market area of Masaka where one iPhone 12 promax, Huawei and one Tecno Spark 5 earlier robbed from some of their victims and Fake EFCC ID cards were recovered from them as exhibits.
“The suspects have confessed to be the syndicate responsible for robbing and terrorising student areas in Keffi and Nasarawa LGA. Effort is ongoing to arrest one identified suspect that is at large.
“Victims of their nefarious activities have come forward and identified the suspects,” the statement said.
It added that the Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu Nadada, has ordered the transfer of the case to State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia for further investigations.
