NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI/Lafia
The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested 30 criminals and seized two weapons related to various criminal activities in the State in the last month. This was disclosed at a press briefing by the Police Public Relations Officer, RanhamNansel, a deputy superintendent of police on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Baba Maiyaki, in Lafia.
A breakdown of the scorecard showed that fifteen kidnappers were arrested while two armed robbers are also in the net. Within the period under review, four cultists and nine others were picked up for various infractions. In the course of the operations, two arms and two ammunition were recovered from the suspects
On the arrest of the suspected kidnappers for example, the statement said “0n 18/06/2023 at about 1300hrs, the sequel to a complaint lodged at Awe Area Command, where a victim was called and threatened to pay the sum of one million and five hundred thousand naira (1,500.000) or risk being kidnapped and killed. Police detectives attached to Awe Area Command launched a diligent investigation where one Zakari Umar Alias Dan Wudil ‘M’ 28yrs of Mahanga village, Awe LGA was arrested. Investigation revealed that the suspect called his victim on the phone and threatened him; due to fear of being kidnapped, the victim was coerced into paying the sum of one million, one hundred and fifty thousand naira to the suspect as ransom. Upon arrest, he led Police operatives to farmland where the sum of seven hundred and fifty thousand nairas was exhumed and recovered as an exhibit. The suspect has confessed to the crime.”
Another ring was also caught for kidnapping an eight-year-old child. Two young men were also picked up for snatching a pastor in Awe Local Government Area. The suspects were arrested after they returned to Lafia from Port Harcourt and Taraba where they had ostensibly gone to spend the 1 million naira they collected from their prey.
In yet another breakthrough in fishing out criminals out of the State, is the apprehension of six officials of Quest International Company, Quest, accused of defrauding about twenty people of sums ranging from five hundred to six hundred and fifty thousand naira, the victims were promised mouth-watering incentives while being lured to part with various sums in the guise of securing jobs overseas for them. Investigations are said to be ongoing to unravel the syndicate.
Two armed robbers named Timothy James and Simon Oliver were caught by the combined efforts of the vigilante group and the police in Lafia. An English-made pistol was recovered from them. The duo were said to have attacked a farmer to rob him. The victim raised an alarm which attracted the police and the vigilante operatives in the area.
Members of two rival cult groups are in the police net. They were said to be involved in a clash which led to the death of one person on both sides. The four 20-year-olds were picked up in Doma LGA where the incident occurred during the last sallah celebration.