Abuja: 53 suspects paraded over kidnapping, robbery, cultism

The FCT Police Command yesterday paraded 53 suspects arrested over involvement in various crimes, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and rape. The Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, said the arrests were part of the command’s “notable achievements in the last couple of weeks”. He said: “The counter-kidnapping operations are still on-going to dislodge the kidnappers’ […]

The FCT Police Command yesterday paraded 53 suspects arrested over involvement in various crimes, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and rape.

The Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, said the arrests were part of the command’s “notable achievements in the last couple of weeks”.

He said: “The counter-kidnapping operations are still on-going to dislodge the kidnappers’ and their bases. The command will not leave any stone unturned until we rid the FCT of crime and criminality.”

Giving a rundown of the arrests, CP Ciroma said 17 suspects were arrested for cultism, six for armed robbery, three for kidnapping, eight for car/motorcycle theft and three for rape.

Others are three suspected one-chance robbers, five suspected drug dealers, five suspected impersonators, and three mobile phone thieves.

Recoveries made, according to the CP, included eight vehicles, two rifles, one Berretta pistol, 10 live cartridges, six cutlasses, seven jack knives and several sachets of illicit drugs (codeine and others).

Others are: 34 master keys and 2 network jammers, 46 bags of Indian hemp, several cultists outfits including banners, initiation pots and beads, 11 SIM cards, a toy gun, three pairs of army uniform and charms.

On the kidnapping suspects, the CP said on December 8, operatives attached to the anti-kidnapping squad during an operation arrested one Muhammed Abubakar, 29, along Kwali-Rubochi axis with several charms in large quantities.

He added that a day later, the command also arrested one Abideen Bogunbe, 42 and Segun Bamidele, 34, for attempting to kidnap their employer’s ward.

He said the command also smashed a syndicate of suspected car thieves at AYA junction Asokoro and arrested Mohammed Kabiru, 33; Kabiru Bala, 40; Abubakar Zubairu, 39 and Bashiru Dahiru, 35, all members of the syndicate, that allegedly confessed to have stolen over 54 vehicles within the FCT.

Four vehicles were recovered from them along with 34 fabricated master keys, among others, he said.

An 18-year-old Matthew Marcus, a security guard, was also arrested for allegedly defiling a two-year-old girl in his place of work. Also, a 43-year-old man was arrested for allegedly defiling a 5-year-old girl. The victim was reportedly assisting the suspect to wash his dishes before he violated her.

The CP said all the suspects would be arraigned as soon as investigations were concluded in their cases.