Troops have arrested a suspected kidnapper in Oyo State as part of ongoing efforts to eliminate criminal activities in the country.
In a statement released on Friday, the army reported that the suspect was apprehended during a stop-and-search operation along the Igboho-Igbeti Road in the Igbeti Local Government Area of the southwestern state.
“The troops intercepted a suspected kidnapper, Usman Mohammed Aliyu, who was found in possession of four hundred thousand naira (N400,000.00),” the statement read.
“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.”
Elsewhere, troops acted on credible intelligence and raided a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Ajegunle Mpape in the Bwari area council of Abuja, the nation’s capital.
During the raid, troops nabbed “an informant suspect named Ashiru Mohammed with two female accomplices, Raham Abubakar and Sadiya Mohammed.”
“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,” the statement read
See the full statement below:
TROOPS CONDUCT ANTI-KIDNAP OPERATIONS, ARREST SUSPECTED INFORMANTS, NOTORIOUS KIDNAPPER IN ABUJA, OYO
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.
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. During the operation, the troops apprehended an informant suspect named Ashiru Mohammed with two female accomplices, Raham Abubakar and Sadiya Mohammed. 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.
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.The troops intercepted a suspected kidnapper, Usman Mohammed Aliyu, who was found in possession of four hundred thousand naira (N400,000.00). During further investigation, Aliyu confessed to being involved in cattle rustling and kidnapping. The suspects will e handed over to appropriate prosecuting agencies after investigations.
These coordinated operations are indicative of Nigerian Army’s commitment to maintaining security and combating criminal activities in synergy with other security agencies across the country. The arrests and seizures are expected to significantly disrupt the operations of kidnap syndicates and other criminal networks in the affected areas.