The Gombe State Police Command says it has arrested seven suspected members of a kidnap syndicate, neutralised two others and recovered a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) during coordinated security operations across the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Buhari Abdullahi, said in a statement on Friday that the operations were conducted in collaboration with the Gombe State Professional Hunters Association as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal groups involved in kidnapping and cattle rustling.
According to him, the breakthrough followed credible intelligence received on Nov. 23 at about 4:00 a.m., implicating one Abdullahi Ibrahim, 40, of Tilde Village in Funakaye Local Government Area, in harbouring criminals suspected to be involved in kidnapping and cattle rustling.
He said the suspect was immediately arrested and, during interrogation, confessed to participating in cattle rustling and several kidnapping operations within the state.
Abdullahi added that the suspect also revealed the identities of accomplices believed to be part of a wider kidnap network operating across Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe and Adamawa states.
He said the police, acting on the intelligence gathered, launched an operation on Nov. 28 with support from professional hunters, storming multiple criminal hideouts.
Six additional suspects were arrested during the operation.
They include Usman Mohammed, 30; Hussain Idris, 37; Adamu Tukur, 37; Yau Abdullahi, 25; Ali Umar, 18; Hassan Usman, 40; and the earlier-arrested Ibrahim, 40.
“All the suspects confessed during preliminary investigations to being involved in several kidnapping operations and receiving about N150 million in ransom from victims,” he said.
Further intelligence, he explained, led operatives to the Gadam bush area, where the gang had allegedly concealed firearms used for kidnapping.
“As the operatives approached the location, they were attacked by unidentified armed men. A brief exchange of gunfire ensued, leading to the neutralisation of two suspected kidnappers and the recovery of one GPMG and eight rounds of live ammunition,” he said.
Abdullahi said the bodies of the neutralised suspects had been deposited at the Specialist Hospital Mortuary in Gombe.
He also linked the suspects to a Jan. 15 kidnapping at Barderi Village in Akko LGA, during which a victim was held for two weeks before a ransom of N15 million was paid.
“The victim later identified suspects one, two and five as the individuals responsible for his abduction,” he said, adding that other victims had also identified members of the syndicate.
He said all suspects remained in custody while investigations continued.
“The recovered exhibits are undergoing discreet investigation and profiling, and the suspects will be prosecuted accordingly,” Abdullahi added.
He assured the public of the Command’s continued commitment to ensuring the safety of lives and property across the state and urged residents to provide timely and credible information to aid policing efforts.