Kwara State Police Command, on Tuesday, paraded 13 suspects arrested for kidnapping and theft cases across the state.
The suspects included six kidnappers, power cable vandals and two motorcycle thieves.
The suspected kidnappers that were paraded for criminal conspiracy and kidnapping included Haruna Nuhu, 28, Umar Shehu, 25, Maazu Mesaje, 35, Sani Mesaje, 21, Mohammed Usman,20, and Buba Oke-Ode.
The suspected kidnappers who allegedly killed their victims – Kayode Musa, Abubakar Haruna and Ajide OlaOluwa, were arrested in the bush in Isanlu-Isin in Isin local government area of the state, with exhibits which included five cutlasses, criminal charms, phones, one locally made iron pistol with two live ammunition and one expended ammunition of a revolver pistol.
The five suspects arrested for criminal conspiracy and theft of electricity cables included Awokunle Gideon, 23, Yahusa Bashiru, 22, Nuhu Alli, 20, Usman Yahaya, 20, and Aliyu Ibraheem, 20.
They were reportedly arrested with bunches of cables.
The remaining two suspects, Usman AbdulKadir and Ibrahim Saheed were arrested for the theft of a motorcycle and for receiving stolen motorcycle.
The State Commisssioner of Police, Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, who paraded the suspects said: “On Thursday, July 13, 2023, at approximately 1700HRS, one Abubakar Haruna AKA Muslim and one Kayode Musa ‘Male’ were driving from Oke-Onigbin to Isanlu-Isin in a Toyota Camry, when a group of armed men suspected to be Bororo Fulani emerged from the bush and abducted them and disappeared into the bush.
“While effort to rescue the victims were in progress, On 21/7/2023, at about 0630hrs, a team of police officers, local vigilantes, and hunters already on search of the victims were met with hails of gunshots, in a bid to escape being captured, the suspects shot and killed their two victims and escaped into the bush, some of them with bullet injuries while Ajide Abiodun Olaoluwa one of the victims was rescued alive.
“In furtherance of the effort by the police to get the kidnappers arrested, the police, hunters and vigilante stormed the forests between Ijara-Isin and Isanlu-Isin where intelligence revealed that the kidnappers were hiding and got the above suspects arrested with their weapons.
“On July 24, 2023, at around 0430hrs, the Anti-Kidnapping Squad got an intelligence that a man was transporting bundles of cable wires along Tanke Area Ilorin. A team of police was dispatched to the scene and one Awokunle Gideon ‘Male’ was arrested with bunches of stolen NEPA cables. Investigation led to the arrest of his receivers.
The suspects would be arraigned in court at completion of investigation.
“On 19/07/2023 at about 1200hrs, the above captured case was transferred from Budo-Nuhu Police Station to the State CID, Ilorin for discreet investigation to the effect that, on 17/07/2023 at about 2100hrs, one Bello Musbau ‘M’ of Solid Worth Hotel, off Asa-Dam Road, that on 16/07/2023 at 1900hrs, one of their customers, one Wasiu Abdulsalami ‘M’ of No. 19 Magaji Street, reported that his motorcycle was stolen from the hotel premises, investigation using the hotel’s CCTV footage revealed one Usma Abdulkadri ‘Male’, who was arrested and confessed commiting the crime.
“Investigation led to the arrest of one Ibrahim Saheed ‘Male’ a staff of Kwara state traffic management Agency (KWATMA) a receiver of the stolen motorcycle, the motorcycle has, however, been recovered.
“The suspects would soon be charged in court.”
