Police Arrest 12 Kidnap Suspects, Three Gunrunners In Taraba, Kaduna
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that police operatives have arrested 12 suspected kidnappers and gunrunners in coordinated operations across Taraba, Kaduna, and several other states, recovering a cache of arms and ammunition.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed the arrests in a statement on Tuesday, crediting successful intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration for the breakthrough.
According to Adejobi, on April 25, 2025, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department’s Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS), in partnership with the Taraba State Police Command, local hunters, and vigilante groups, apprehended four suspected kidnappers in Mararaban Abbare, Lau Local Government Area. The suspects—Shehu Ibrahim, Abdullahi Haruna, Yusuf Bello, and Mohammed Bako—were reportedly plotting a kidnapping operation at the time of arrest.
Recovered from the suspects were two AK-49 rifles, one AK-47 rifle, six magazines, and 45 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.
“Prior to this operation, intelligence had been received on a kidnapping gang operating across Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna States,” the statement added.
A subsequent raid on the gang’s hideout led to the arrest of five additional suspects: Sulaiman Mohammed, Tijjani Bello, Muhammed Umar, Adamu Ibrahim, Solomon Nathaniel, and Haruna Adamu. Police recovered three AK-47 rifles, one AK-49 rifle, and four magazines during the operation.
In a separate operation on April 17, 2025, Kaduna State police arrested a suspected kidnapper, Isa Ibrahim, who reportedly confessed to relocating to Kaduna to form a new gang after his former associates were arrested in Kwara State.
That same day, operatives apprehended two more suspects—Sani Liman and Murtala Magaji—in Lamido village, Lere LGA. Both reportedly confessed to involvement in multiple kidnapping activities in the region.
On April 18, police, acting on intelligence, arrested suspected gunrunners Bajo Badun and Magaji Abdullahi, who were caught with two fabricated AK-47 rifles. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Ishiyaku Ali along the Kauru-Pambegua Road, with two locally-fabricated rifles and a long chain hidden in a sack.
Adejobi confirmed that all suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
