The Police on Thursday paraded eight suspected Kidnappers and armed robbery suspects responsible for the recent killings, kidnappings and armed robberies on Kaduna-Abuja-Kano road.
The suspects who belong to two gangs were responsible for the killing of a former commissioner in Katsina State, Prof. Halimatu Sadia Idris.
Some of the suspects carry out their operation in fake military uniforms while others specialise in kidnapping children and women.
The suspects paraded include; Lawal Tukur, Sulaiman Sani, Abubakar Ahmad, Abubakar Adamu, Yahaya Musa, Kabiru Bala, Rufai Tukur and Shehu Audi.
Two AK47 Rifles, three pairs of suspected fake military uniforms, cutlasses, motorbike, Shedda fabrics and other properties belonging to some of the victims.
Briefing journalists on Thursday, the Force Spokesman, Ag. DCP Jimoh Moshood said: “The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris, concerned with the recent security situation on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway and the killing of a former commissioner in Katsina State, Prof. Halimatu Sadia Idris on 22nd July, 2018, the armed robbery attack on Prof. Mohammed Khalid Othman, Director National Agricultural Research Extensions and Liaison Services, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, and the Kidnap of Rahinatu Shehu ‘F’ 51yrs, Aisha Sani ‘F’ 23yrs and her Seven Months old baby at their residence in Mararaba Guga town, Giwa LGA along Kaduna-Zaria road directed a discreet investigation into the incidents and the arrest of perpetrators to bring them to justice.
“The IGP IRT personnel engaged the bandits in a shootout that lasted several hours and at the end effect, the arrest of the eight suspects.”
The Police also said six of their victims were rescued from captivities.
As part of measures to restore safety and normalcy on the Abuja-Kaduna, and Kaduna-Kano Highways, the IGP has ordered additional deployments of Police personnel and vehicular patrol teams to re-gird Operation Absolute Sanity to rid the routes of bandits and hoodlums.
Moshood said: “All Police Mobile Force (PMF) Units of the PMF Squadrons in MOPOL 1 Kaduna, MOPOL 47 Zaria and MOPOL 61 Kafanchan on special duties outside the State have been ordered by the IGP to return back to Kaduna State to beef-up security in the State, particularly on Kaduna-Abuja highway,
Kaduna-Zaria-Kano, Kaduna-BirninGwari-Zamfara-Funtua-Zamfara highway and other flash points in the State.
“The directive is an effort to regid the operational crime prevention strategy of the Force to Kaduna, Funtua, Birnin Gwari and Kano.
“By this, we are going to have more than 2000 PMF returning back to Kaduna State to ensure safety of passengers on Kaduna-Abuja highway and Kaduna-Birnin Gwari-Zamfara-Funtua-Zamfara highway.
“This directive is to ensure that new inventory is brought into the fight against criminality on the highway”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Police said they have arrested 35 suspects in connection to the recent attacks in some villages in Zamfara State.
The Police also said it recovered six AK47 Rifles, 15 locally fabricated guns, 183 AK47 ammunition, and Seven live cartridges from the Bandits.
Moshood said: “Normalcy has been restored to Zamfara State with additional deployments of Police personnel after the attack on Kodi Village in Zurmi
Local Government Area on 24th July, 2018 where Four people were killed.
“35 Bandits have been arrested in connection with the recent attacks in some villages in Zamfara State.
“All the suspects have made useful statements to the Police investigators and confessed to the killings in the affected villages.”
The Force said it has embarked on Police Crime Prevention, Visibility and Confidence Building Patrols adding that the people in the affected villages have started returning to their homes.