Katsina Police Harvest Deadly Criminals

Four suspected kidnappers of a Federal lawmaker, who also raped their victim, have been arrested by the police in Katsina State, alongside seven other suspects held for murder, carjacking and having sex with a goat.

One of the suspects was described as a specialist in killing of Tricycle riders to covet their means of livelihood.

Addressing reporters in Katsina today, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Usman Abdullahi, said that his men, on June 8, smashed a gang of armed robbers and kidnappers who mounted roadblocks along Jikamshi-Yashe Road, in Musawa Local Government Area of the state.

Abdullahi said, “During the course of investigation, victims were traced and invited through the GSM Handsets recovered from the syndicate and it was revealed that, the syndicate was also the one that blocked Kusada – Kankia Road, and robbed motorists of their belongings.  Suspects confessed to have been carrying out a series of armed robbery attacks on the highway and have also kidnapped at one time a member of the House of Representative representing Kontagora, in Niger State, whose GSM phone was found in their possessions.  The Robbers confessed that on that same day they also abducted one Yoruba woman and took her into the bush where they raped her.”

The arrested suspects were identified as 28-year-old Halliru Auwal of Lafiya village in Kaduna State, 26-year-old Hassan Bello of Huguma Village, Kafur in Katsina, 25-year-old Haruna Dahiru of Bauranya Village, Kusada, in Katsina, and 27-year-old Haruna Musa of Hunkuyi, Kudan in Kaduna.

Their arrest followed an investigation by policemen on a rescue mission after a road accident in Musawa area. The CP said that a passenger bus was involved in an accident with an articulated vehicle, a driver died, and many passengers were injured.

Those injured were found to have bullet wounds on their bodies when they were rushed to Musawa Hospital after midnight for treatment, and the police became curious.

“Our men went back to nearby village and asked villagers if there was any case of armed robbery or something relating to that. The villagers told the police that they heard a gunshot prior to the accident. During investigations, a vehicle with three occupants came to the scene of the accident, but on sighting the police the occupants attempted to escape and they were arrested,” Abdullahi said.

According to him, the suspects have confessed to various crimes in the area.

Items allegedly recovered from them included a blue Golf Car marked SBG 185 AA, a laptop, 19 mobile phones, N146, 410, empty shells of expended ammunition, 350, 000 Niger Republic CFA currency, one bulletproof vest made of charms, a knife, one bag of cosmetics, and five yards of Shadda clothes.

Abdullahi also told how one Nura Ado of Yar Unguwa, Birchi Village, Kurfi LGA in Katsina, on June 16, chattered a tricycle ridden by one Ibrahim Akilu, 22, who hails from Rahamawa quarters in Katsina and took him into his house at Yar Unguwa, where he smashed his head with heavy firewood.

The CP said, “When the victim fell down and became unconscious, he then pushed him into an old Well inside his compound and made away with his tricycle with registration number MLF 420 QA valued at N545, 000.  The motorcycle was later recovered in Kano, while the dead body of the victim was removed from the Well inside the suspect’s compound.”

Also paraded at the police headquarters for what was described as Unnatural Offence was one Babangida Garba, 42, who allegedly had sexual intercourse with his neighbour’s goat.

Garba, who hails from Kasuwar Mata, in Funtua LGA of Katsina was arrested on June 15.

The police also arrested one Murtala Abdulraham, 30, who allegedly used a master key to steal a car parked by one Ibrahim Musa at the Central Mosque, Funtua, in Katsina State.

The Honda Civic 92 Model car, red in colour, with chassis number 001533 and registration number AA 521 DDM was recovered by the police.

Four other suspects were paraded for alleged criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.

The suspects, who allegedly inflicted a fatal machete-cut on a 17-year-old Salisu Shafiu, were identified as Kauraye miscreants namely: Shamsu Sulaiman aka Miyau of Bayan Stadium, 20; Suleman Haladu aka Manu, 18; Sirajo Kabir, aka Tsitaka, 16, and Amar Usman, 19.

Their victim was rushed to the General Hospital in Katsina, where he died while receiving treatment.

Police named items recovered from the suspects as two cutlasses, a knife, and one axe.

The CP said that the suspects would be charged to court soon.

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