Kidnappers Terrorising Commuters on Kaduna-Abuja Road Arrested

By John Shiklam in Kaduna

Six notorious kidnappers that have been terrorising  the Kaduna- Abuja Expressway  have been arrested by the

Kaduna  State internal security outfit, ‘Operation Yaki.’

The suspects were said to be responsible for the spades of kidnappings along the Kaduna-Abuja highway in recent times.

About 30 people were said to have been abducted along the highway in the past three weeks.

The highway is the gateway from Abuja to the states in the North-west zone.

In a statement  yesterday in Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, spokesman to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, said the suspects were picked up on Thursday

and Friday by Operation Yaki Surveillance Patrol Teams during  a joint operation with the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Teams (IRT) as well as support from the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU).

Aruwan said the  arrest of the hoodlums  was sequel to  the massive deployment of more policemen  and patrol vehicles along the high way last week.

The police  had last week announced the deployment of 600 policemen and 70 patrol vehicles to check the activities of the bandits following the persistent abduction of commuters along the highway.

The suspects, all of who are from Kaduna State, according to the statement, include the gang leader, Adamu Mamman, 35, Amana village,  Igabi Local Government Area, Ali Rabo, (alias Blakky) from Liman-Ibada village,  Chikun Local Government Area and the main informant of the gang, Awwalu Ahmad, alias Mota, from  Rijana village in Kachia Local Government Area.

Others include Shehu Idris Shagari, 27, from Gadan Gayan village, Igabi Local Government Area,  Umar Antijo 27, also and Babangida Abdullahi both from  Rijana.

The suspects were said to have been arrested at various locations, including Maraban Jos, Ungwan Pama – a suburb within Kaduna metropolis,  Sabon Gayan and Rijana villages.

All the suspects were said to have confessed to several kidnappings of motorists along Kaduna-Abuja highway, saying that the situation became tough for them following the deployment of police on the highway. Some of the gang members were also said to have relocated from Rijana village, the meeting point for their criminal activities to their respective aboard.