Nasarawa State commissioner of police Shettima Mohammed has ruled out the possibility of infiltration by the Boko Haram splinter group, Wulowulo, into the state.
Fielding questions from journalists on the preparedness of the command to respond to the emerging threat during a briefing on its achievements in Lafia yesterday, the commissioner said the police, in collaboration with sister security agencies were battle ready to secure the state from any invader no matter how sophisticated.
Governor Abdullahi Sule had earlier reported the emergence of the Boko Haram splinter group in the North Central.
“As you are aware, this new group of Wulowulo which is a splinter group of the Boko Haram is beginning to surface in the North Central zone. The Lakurawa group is now a big problem in Kwara. Originally, they were somewhere around Kebbi and Sokoto states, but now they have become prominent in Kwara,” the governor had said.
But the police commissioner said security had been tightened across the state’s borders to forestall incursion by any terror group, and urged residents to go about their normal businesses.
He said significant progress was made in the ongoing effort to rid the state of criminals between August and October this year.
According to him, 24 kidnap suspects and one suspected armed robber were arrested within the period, while arms and ammunitions were recovered.
He said among the suspected kidnappers were a woman, Asabe Isa and her husband, Umar Isa, who allegedly abducted a two-year-old boy, Godwin Abeson, from Sabon Pegi, Shabu in Lafia on October 16.
He noted that they demanded a ransom of ₦5 million for the child’s release, but luck ran on them following an intelligence report which uncovered the plot leading to their arrest alongside one Emmanuel Polycarp, who hid the victim at his residence in Angwan Nungu.
Other suspects unveiled by the commissioner in several foiled kidnap incidents include Abdullahi Haruna, Leko Jibrin, Usman Yau, Nuhu Mohammed, Mohammed Alhaji Giginya, Illiyasu Umar, Ibrahim Adamu and Umar Faruq.
Also in custody are Yahaya Abdullahi, Usman Bello, Mohammed Ide, Yahaya Sulaiman, Abdullahi Haruna, Christopher Habila, Maigari Nature, Babare Ishaku, Abdullahi Hassan, Musa Adamu, Yakubu Ali, Musa Abubakar, Ali Sani and Muhammed Ibrahim.
