The Kano State Police Command said it has recovered 126 stolen mobile phones from 26 arrested suspected phone snatchers and thieves in the state.
Spokesperson of the Command, Haruna Kiyawa, said the recovery and arrest were made in operations carried out between September 1 – 12, 2024, in a bid to addressing the remnants of the menace of mobile phone snatching/robbery bedeviling some parts of Kano State.
According to Kiyawa, the operation followed the directives of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun to all Police Commands and Formations to dominate public spaces against all forms of crimes and criminality.
He added that the state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Salman Dogo Garba convened a strategic meeting with all tactical units of the Command and directed that the remnants of the menace of thuggery (Fadan Yan Daba), mobile phone, armed robbery and snatching be decimated.
“Consequently, a series of targeted operations were carried out in the state that led to the arrest of a total of twenty-six (26) suspected mobile phone armed robbers/snatchers and recovery of one hundred and twenty-six (126) stolen/robbed mobile phones,” he stated.
Other recoveries from the suspects include 21 pieces of port-wine injections, 20 sachets of diazepam tablets, 600 pieces of exol tablets, three parcels and other large quantities of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, two cutlasses, two scissors, one long sword and two computer laptops.
Kiyawa also noted that the recovered phones will be returned to their rightful owners after proper identification and verification, adding that all machinery have been put in place to trace the owners.
While soliciting the cooperation and support of the public to crack down on all forms of criminality in the state, the Kano State police spokesperson pointed out that the suspects are currently undergoing investigations and upon completion will be charged to court for prosecution.