Segun Atanda/
Armed robbers in Katsina State have fashioned out new ways to rob on highways.
The new style is to sew police or army uniform and design fake AK47 rifles with sticks and black tape, and they are in business.
They appeared to be doing just fine until the police stepped in to end the trend.
According to Katsina police spokesman, DSP Gambo Isah, the police have smashed three of such gangs and a bandit was killed in gun battle at the weekend as hoodlums in army uniform blocked the highway at Rumfar Yankifi, along Tudun-Iya Gangara Road, in Funtua area of Katsina.
“One locally made wooden toy gun, machete and bunch of charms was found in his possession. Searching continued as members of the gang were suspected to have escaped with gunshot wounds,” he said.
In a statement issued today, Isah also mentioned the arrest of one Abdullahi Ibrahim, 28, of Kwado Kambarawa quarters in Katsina, who he described as a notorious member of an armed robbery gang terrorizing the state and its environs.
He said, “On that fateful day, the bandits disguised themselves in police uniforms and invaded the house of one Alhaji Haruna Abubakar Mai-Adashi of Farin Yaro Quarters Katsina. They robbed him of N1, 230, 000.”
Isah added that the suspect had confessed to the commission of the crime and other armed robbery incidents in Katsina and Kaduna states.
A motorcycle thief in police uniform was also arrested on August 2. He was identified as Shamsu Sani aka ‘Officer’.
Police nabbed the suspect, who hailed from Barhim Village in Katsina, when he could not satisfactory account for a motorcycle found in his possession.
During a search of his house, the police allegedly found two unmarked stolen motorcycles, Jincheng and Boxer; a complete set of police uniform with Force Number 267490; one mobile police trouser, and the trouser of a Prison Service uniform.
Isah said that owners of the recovered motorcycles were traced and identified as Ibrahim Ahmed of Kofar Sauri, in Katsina, and Mustapha Ismaila of Sabuwar Unguwa, also in Katsina.
Police identified receivers of the stolen motorcycles as: Aminu Yusuf, 28, of Kofar Kaura quarters in Katsina, and Yahaya Abubakar, 27, of Dandagoro quarters, Batagarawa, in Katsina.
Following a tip off on August 2, a suspect was also arrested with locally made pistol and six cartridges.
He was identified as Kabiru Saleh of Mahangi Village, in Kafur area of Katsina.
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