The police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) arrested three suspected informants for a notorious bandit leader in Katsina State, Sani Tukur, also known as Abacha.
The three are said to be members of a lethal kidnap for ransom syndicate that kidnapped the wife and two children of a serving lawmaker in Katsina, Hon. Dr Ibrahim Aminu.
The suspects Muttaka Ibrahim, Suleiman Rabiu and Surajo were apprehended following intelligence reports on the activities of the deadly criminal gangs by IRT operatives attached to the Operation Restore Hope of the Force in Yankwani village and Kurani town.
According to a statement from the office of the IRT Commander, dcp olatunji Disu, the team swung into action swiftly and arrested the suspects in their various hideouts within Bakori Local Government Area.
During investigation, the trio confessed to have served as informants to Sanni Tukur who is terrorising innocent citizens in villages and towns around Katsina and Zamfara states.
They also confessed to have facilitated the kidnap of six other persons in addition to the family members of the lawmaker.
Other victims of the syndicates criminal gang include Buhari Usman, also know as Fedeco, Nazaradeen Ibrahim, Amandallah Ahmad, Ibrahim Suleiman, Sumayya Nura and Yahaya Bura who are currently in the captivity of the gang.
Confessing further, the suspects disclosed that after kidnapping the family of the lawmaker, they demanded for and received a total sum of twenty-one million naira.
Muttaka Ibrahim, the chief informant admitted that he got a payment of one hundred and thirty thousand naira (N130,000) from the gang leader adding that one Yusuf Bala of Zaria is his accomplice.
He also admitted that the bandit leader collected a total of six million five hundred thousand naira from the other victims they kidnaped at Yankwani town.
Narrating his ordeal, the lawmaker told police investigators that he paid a total sum of thirty seven million and five hundred thousand naira to the gang leader to secure his family member’s release from captivity.
Authorities of the force say all the suspect are still undergoing investigation by the police and would be charged to court soon.
Police spokesman, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi in a statement on Monday assured residents of the terrorized communities and all Nigerians, that all the suspects are going to be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the laws of the nation.