NSCDC Operatives Nab 5 Kidnappers Along Zaria–Kano Highway, Recover Smart Phones
Operatives of the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested five suspected members of a notorious kidnap syndicate terrorizing travellers along the Zaria–Kano Expressway.
The operation, carried out on the directive of the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, mni, OFR, followed several complaints about frequent cases of kidnapping, extortion, theft, and criminal conspiracy on the busy highway linking Kaduna and Kano States.
Briefing journalists at the Corps’ National Headquarters in Abuja, the Commander of the Special Intelligence Squad, Assistant Commandant Dandaura (JP), said the suspects were apprehended after a coordinated intelligence-led operation.
According to Dandaura, the gang was responsible for the recent attack on one Sani Ahmad, a journalist travelling from Zaria to Kano. Ahmad was flagged down by the suspects under the pretext that there was danger ahead, only to be dispossessed of his valuables at gunpoint.
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“After insisting that I stop my vehicle, they invaded it and took my travelling bag, two iPhone 12 Pro Max devices, a Tecno Camon 40 Pro, and forced me to transfer ₦300,000 through my Opay account to another account in the name of one Abdullahi Lawan Garba,” the victim recounted.
The suspects, identified as Ibrahim Abubakar Garba, Umar Fulani, Aliyu Mohammed, Murtala Salisu, and Imrana Hassan, have all reportedly confessed to their involvement in the crime.
Items recovered from them include six mini smartphones, an iPhone 12 Pro Max, a Tecno Camon 40 Pro (already sold to one of the suspects), several ATM cards from different banks, a Samsung Galaxy A15, an Infinix X6531B, an Itel keypad phone, wristwatches, ear pods, bangles, rings, and other personal belongings.
Dandaura assured that the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigations.
Meanwhile, the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Audi, has warned travellers to avoid late-night movements, especially as the Yuletide season approaches, noting that criminal elements often take advantage of the period to target unsuspecting commuters.
“We are intensifying surveillance and patrols across major highways to ensure citizens’ safety, but people must also take precautionary measures,” Audi stated.
The Corps reiterated its commitment to combating banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality across the country through intelligence gathering and proactive operations.
By PRNigeria
