Suspected Katsina kidnap kingpin nabbed in Kwara
The Kwara State Police Command yesterday announced that it has arrested a suspected kidnapper who, after operations in Katsina runs to Kwara State to hide.
The Commissioner of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, disclosed this while parading some suspects in Ilorin, the state capital.
“We have in our custody a suspect that is always running to Kwara State after every successful kidnap operation in Katsina State.
He has made confessional statement in that regard,” the CP said.
“Recall that last Friday, I had dinner with my officers where I mentioned that we have arrested 275 and prosecuted them in cases of armed robbery and kidnapping and most of these cases did not even take place here in Kwara.
“The suspects actually committed the offences outside the state and they always run here for cover. We have arrested a lot of them. We transferred some of them back to the state that have jurisdiction over the case and we prosecuted some here too,” he added.
The CP also disclosed that another suspect, who murdered a colleague in Lagos and took his tipper truck to Ilorin, has also been apprehended.
He added that the arm the suspect used in committing the crime has been recovered and he will be transferred to Lagos, where he committed the offence.
Egbetokun added that 16 other suspects who caused disturbance of public peace at Egbejila in Ilorin two days ago have been arraigned before the court.
On why the suspects chose Kwara State as cover after committing crimes elsewhere, he said, “It is not only Kwara State that you see suspects running down to for cover. Even those who commit offence here in Kwara would run to other states for cover.
“So, it cuts across all the states; as we arrest suspects that are running down here for cover so also other commands too are arresting suspects who ran down to their commands for cover.”
A young herder, identified as Abdulkadir Umar, was reportedly killed on his way back home after grazing at Kukum District, Kagoro Chiefdom in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Speaking with Daily Trust, the leader of the Fulani community in Kagoro Chiefdom, Ardon Fada, Alhaji Isa Ori, said the incident happened around 5pm on Monday when some youths attacked the herder on their way back home from grazing, dispersed the herders and killed one person.
“As we did not see one of our boys, we decided to search and later found the remains of Abdulkadir at a river bank at Hayin Rafi in Kukum.
“We have just finished the burial in Manchok cemetery as I am talking to you now, together with the local government chairman, Dr Katuka Bege Ayuba, Council Secretary and the representative of the DPO, Kaura Local Government Area,” he said.
The chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Kaura Local Government chapter, Salisu Ibrahim Hari, who also attended the funeral lamented the incident. He however, called on herdsmen in the area to continue to be law-abiding as security operatives are ready to deal with perpetrators of such acts.
The caretaker committee Chairman of Kaura local government, Dr Bege Katuka, who confirmed the incident, however, appealed to the community members to stay calm and not to take the laws into their hands.
“And I promise that I shall prevail on the security operatives to intensify investigation and come up with the actual cause of the death and if possible lay hands on the alleged killer,” he added.
He said he was with the family