The Nigerian Army troops conducted anti-kidnap operations and arrested suspected informants, kidnapper in Abuja.
The Army said this in a statement on its verified Facebook page on Friday.
It added that the arrest was made through intelligence information from members of the public
“In a recent Anti-Kidnap operations based on credible intelligence, troops of the Nigerian Army deployed for internal security duties made significant strides in combating Kidnap activities in the Federal Capital Territory and Oyo State,” it said.
According to the statement, in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, troops on Thursday 23 May 2024, raided a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Ajegunle Mpape, targeting a notorious informant known for harbouring kidnappers, and apprehended an informant, Ashiru Mohammed, with two female accomplices, Raham Abubakar and Sadiya Mohammed.
It said the suspects were found in possession of one Beretta pistol, one pistol magazine and 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
“The troops also recovered five ATM cards from different banks, two mobile phones and suspected illicit drugs. The suspects are currently helping in further investigations,” it said.
In a related development, troops acting on an alert about a kidnap syndicate operating around Sepeteri in the Shaki general area of Oyo State conducted a stop-and-search operation along the Igboho-Igbeti Road in Igbeti Local Government Area and intercepted a suspected kidnapper, Usman Mohammed Aliyu, who was found in possession of N400,000.
“During further investigation, Aliyu confessed to being involved in cattle rustling and kidnapping. The suspects will be handed over to appropriate prosecuting agencies after investigations,” it added.
According to the statement, the arrests and seizures are expected to significantly disrupt the operations of kidnap syndicates and other criminal networks in the affected areas.