The Nigeria Police Force has arrested several suspected kidnappers and gun runners and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition in coordinated operations across multiple states.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that the breakthroughs were achieved through actionable intelligence and collaboration with local security networks.
According to the statement, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department’s Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS), in collaboration with Taraba State Police Command, local hunters, and vigilantes, arrested four suspected kidnappers in Mararaban Abbare, Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State on April 25, 2025.
The suspects — Shehu Ibrahim, Abdullahi Haruna, Yusuf Bello, and Mohammed Bako — were reportedly intercepted while planning a kidnap operation. Recovered from them were two AK-49 rifles, one AK-47 rifle, six magazines, and 45 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.
“Prior to this arrest, operatives had received intelligence on a notorious kidnapping gang terrorizing Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna States.
A raid on their hideout led to the arrest of five more suspects,” Adejobi stated.
Those arrested include Sulaiman Mohammed, Tijjani Bello, Muhammed Umar, Adamu Ibrahim, Solomon Nathaniel, and Haruna Adamu. Recovered items include three AK-47 rifles, one AK-49 rifle, and four AK-47 magazines.
In a related development, police operatives in Kaduna State on April 17, 2025, arrested Isa Ibrahim, a suspected kidnapper who confessed to relocating to Kaduna to set up a new gang after his former accomplices were apprehended in Kwara State.
On the same day, two more suspected kidnappers, Sani Liman and Murtala Magaji, were arrested in Lamido village, Lere Local Government Area. Both confessed to involvement in several kidnapping operations in the region.
The statement further revealed that on April 18, 2025, Kaduna police operatives, acting on intelligence, arrested two suspected gun runners — Bajo Badun and Magaji Abdullahi — found in possession of two fabricated AK-47 rifles. Another suspect, Ishiyaku Ali, was intercepted along the Kauru-Pambegua Road with two locally fabricated rifles and a long chain concealed in a sack.
ACP Adejobi confirmed that all suspects are in custody and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
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