By Chizoba Ogbeche
Abuja
The Nigeria Police, yesterday, paraded suspected kidnappers of Deputy High Commissioner of Sierra Leone to Nigeria, Major General Alfred Claude-Nelson and other high profile kidnap for ransom in recent time.
Parading the suspects before journalists at the Force headquarters, Abuja, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), DCP Don Awunah, said: “This dare devil criminal gang was responsible for the abduction of the Sierra-Leonean Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria on June 30, 2016, the executive director of Dangote Group and many other high profile kidnap for ransom in recent times.”
He named the gang leader as Alhaji Rabiu Yusuf, 45; his second-in-command, Garba Abubakar aka Habu, 27; Yusuf Adamu, 20; Hussaini Musa, 25; Shuaibu Idris, 35, Usman Bello, 20; Musa Ali, 45; Muhammadu Abubakar, 30; Suleiman Abubakar, 25; Gambo Ibrahim, 25, and Balarabe Mohammadu, 32.
Awunah said they were nabbed in: “A coordinated operation based on intelligence and technical support, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police has smashed an 11-man kidnap gang that had for some time now terrorised Kaduna state, the FCT and other North-central states.”
According to him, “The modus operandi of these criminal elements includes mounting road blocks on highways in Military uniforms, surprise attack on unsuspecting motorist and relocating from one point to other in the forest with their victims to avoid detection and arrest.”
The spokesperson who disclosed that three AK 47 rifles, three AK 47 rifle magazines loaded with ninety rounds of ammunition and two sets of military camouflage uniforms, were recovered from the suspects, said investigations were on-going and the suspects would be charged to court on completion.
Fielding questions from journalists, the alleged gang leader, Yusuf, who claimed he could not speak English, but spoke through an interpreter, said the gang had only kidnapped two persons including the envoy and had collected a ransom of N1.5million.
He also owned up that the arms displaced by the police were used for their operation, the gang leader, however, claimed the military uniform and arms used for their operations belonged to one Musa.
Asked how they were able to communicate with the embassy to demand for ransom, he said, a driver attached to the embassy who reportedly brought the job to them was their go between the embassy.
