Yemi Akinsuyi/
Members of a 6-man gang of ex-prisoners smashed by the police have told NewsmakersNG why they shifted from armed robbery to kidnapping.
The gang led by one Rufai Mohammed was allegedly formed when they were serving various jail terms in Katsina.
Other members were identified as Isah Abdullahi, 25; Abdulrasheed Labaran, 26; Abba Zayyanu, 22; Ayuba Awwalu, 35, and Anna’s Rabiu Ibrahim.
The gang leader, through an interpreter, said: “We became friends when we were serving jail terms in Katsina prison. During the interaction, we got to know that we were about completing our jail terms. That was when we decided to shift from armed robbery to kidnapping. This is because we knew we will make more money from it.”
Their decision seemed successful as their first target, a Sokoto based businessman, Alhaji Tukur Subair, parted with millions of naira.
Rufai confessed that his gang operated along Zaria/Kaduna/Kano expressway 12 times, where millions of naira were collected as ransom from their victims.
He also confessed that his gang bought their weapons from a dealer from Taraba State, but that he had never seen him or known his address.
A sum of N10.1million was recovered from them as well as other criminal stuff they used for their dastardly act.
Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba and DCP Abba Kyari paraded the suspected criminals alongside 74 others allegedly operating in different parts of the country in a harvest jointly carried out by the IGP Special Tactical Squad (ISTS) and Intelligence Respond Team (IRT).
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