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From Ngozi Uwuare
The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a suspected bandit, 32-year-old Bilyamunu Saidu who has terrorised the state with his gang members for some time now.
The police also recovered from him four AK 47 rifles with 344 rounds of ammunition and his operational motorcycle which he and his gang allegedly used to kidnap over 20 victims within Kaduna axis.
It was gathered that the Police Tactical Team rescued the victims from the various hideouts of kidnappers in Kaduna state.
Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Yekini Ayoku told Saturday Sun that the suspect, Bilyamunu Saidu and his gang members terrorised the state and kidnapped victims. He noted that upon information, the operatives tackled them and neutralised over10 suspects in their various hideouts.
He said the renewed commitment of the officers and men of the command led to the arrest of the criminals.
“It was on December 23, 2022 around 5. 30pm when the police operatives attached to Turdun Wada, Zaria while on surveillance patrol at Kwar Kwaaron Manu, Basawa area of Zaria metropolitan intercepted two men on an unregistered motorcycle with bags concealed in a suspicious manner on the motorcycle.
“They flagged them down for search and the motorcycle passengers jumped down and fled thereby heightening the suspicion of the eagle-eyed operatives.
“The motorcycle and the rider, who is identified as one Bilyamunu Saidu was pursued to Shunaki Village in Bakori Local Government Area of Kaduna State where he was picked up. He confessed and immediately was subjected to a thorough search, which led to his arrest. Items recovered from him included four AK47 rifles, 344 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, telephone and charms,” CP Ayoku said.
He further said that the arrested suspect is in police custody and that preliminary investigation revealed that his fleeing accomplice was on a nefarious mission to supply his gang with the offensive weapons.
CP Ayoku said that it was a harvest of arrests recently when the command killed 21 armed bandits and terrorists, and recovered 1,408 arms and ammunitions. He said the command also recovered 206 kidnapped victims.
He said the killings, arrest and recovered ammunition were parts of the command’s achievements in the last nine months.
CP Ayoku stated that the command arrested 780 suspects and had been able to secure conviction for most of them while 1,440 rustled livestock were recovered from different parts of the state.
“On April 18.2022 on the heels of the train attack of March 8, 2022 and the earlier security breach around the Kaduna International Airport, .the need for urgent safeguard of commuters/road users especially along Kaduna/Abuja Expressway in the absence of a functional and commercial air operation was considered paramount and imperative.
“With this challenge on ground, there was thus no time to spare and I had to immediately and swiftly review and rejig the existing architecture crime -map of the state, re-strategise and mobilise all operational tactical and intelligence resources and deploy same massively in cognizance of the crime prevalent in the different parts of the state, For obvious reasons as stated earlier, Abuja/Kaduna highway was prioritised,”
In an interview, the suspect, Bilyamunu Saidu told Saturday Sun that: “I hail from Bakori Local Government Area of Kaduna State. We are a gang of kidnappers who have kidnapped many victims along the Kaduna/ Zaria Expressway, where we carried out different operations and kidnapped over 15 victims and took them to our hideout where we demanded millions of naira from the victim’s families.
“We had an encounter with the police operatives and they killed some of our gang members and immediately that happened we would recruit other members.”
CP Ayoku further assured members of the public that the command would be unwavering in its commitment to ensure public safety and security in line with the operational guideline handed down by the IGP Usman Alkali Baba.
He said all the arrested suspects will soon be charged to court
