Police rejects N800,000 bribe, arrest bandits, kidnappers

BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto

Sokoto State Police Command has said it arrested scores of suspected bandits and kidnapers, rescued victims and recovered both locally fabricated fire arms and AK47 riffles between May and October this year. 

Addressing newsmen Tuesday at the Command’s Headquarters, the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Ali Hayatu Kaigama said their relentless aggressive patrols, raids of criminals’ hideouts as well as visible policing community strategies is beginning to yield tremendous achievements. 

Giving breakdown of the recorded successes within the period, CP Kaigama said his men traced footprints of suspected kidnappers to Yabo, Sanyinna and Silame forest, rescued six kidnap victims and arrested their abductors named Aliyu Abubakar, Abdullahi Umar and Ayuba Magaji, with one AK 49 riffle, two magazines loaded with 15 live ammunitions, a locally fabricated pistol with 12 rounds of live ammunition, a Kasea motorcycle and nine mobile phones. 

Continuing, the CP said his men equally attested one Dauda Ahmad who is suspected to be a renowned bandit and kidnapper terrorising communities within the metropolis of Sokoto and his gang members, Abubakar Aminu,  Abubakar Isa and Samaila Umar after a gun duel that later led to the death of their leader, Dauda Ahmad. 

He also listed one Isah Abubakar among those arrested for kidnapping, banditry and firearms possession, while Rufai Dani, Yushau Abubakar and Ahmad Bello, all of Sokoto metropolis were intercepted along Birnin Kebbi road with a Sharon vehicle loaded with 12 roles of conductor aluminium wires suspected to be vandalized from electric poles. 

“During investigation, the suspects offered the police officers the sum of 800,000 naira as bribe to enable them escape arrest. 

“Upon investigation, they confessed to have stolen the said wires from electric poles located along Sayinna road in Tambuwal local government area of Sokoto.” 

The CP further added that the suspects also admitted to have vandalized and stolen similar conductor aluminum wires from Sifawa in Bodinga local government as well as Shagari and Wamakko local government worth over 17 million naira and sold same to one Ibrahim Abdullahi Dafata and Bello Dani Zamzam of Kwanni area, within Sokoto metropolis.

Ali Kaigama added that his men also arrested Rabilu Abubakar, Dani Mohammed, Mustapha Zayyanu and Nura Mohammed, all of Sokoto metropolis for criminal conspiracy, robbery and attempt to commit culpable homicide when they lured a commercial motorcyclist, Yusuf Mohammed to a location along Sokoto State University road, strangled him with a rope and dispossessed him of his mobile phone, 7,000 naira and boxer motorcycle worth N545,000. 

While calling on members of the public to continue to give useful information to the Police for effective policing, the CP assured that they will continue to do everting professionally to ensure peace and a crime free Sokoto State.