*Commences ‘Operations Absolute Sanity’ on Abuja-Kaduna highway
By Tunde Adetunji, Abuja
The police high command, yesterday paraded a former councillor in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi state, Hon. Iliyasu Suleiman, and four others over the kidnap of Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello’s mother in 2014.
The suspects are: 44 years old Hon. Iliyasu Suleiman, who is the gang leader; Danjuma Ibrahim (26) alias Apayi/senate, Iliyasu Obadaki, (35) alias ‘doctor’; Alhaji Nasiru, (43); Hafiz Yakubu, (26); while Mohammed Jamiu alias ‘Bomboy’ was killed in a gun duel by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Parading the five kidnappers yesterday in Abuja, Force Public Relations Officer, (FPRO), Jimoh Moshood said sequel to the IGP’s directive on the kidnapping in Abuja, Niger and Kogi states respectively, the operatives of IGP Intelligence Response Team swung into action after they arrested Danladi Ibrahim alias Apayi in a follow up to his confession on several robberies and kidnappings in Kogi, Abuja and Niger states.
Items recovered from them include, two AK 47 rifles, twenty life cartridges, one army camouflage inner wear, two army camouflage pair of trousers, two army camouflage caps, one black berret, two plastic gun, three sharp knives, one axe and assorted charms.
Moshood, a Chief Superintendent of Police noted that all the suspects arrested confessed to the kidnapping of Yahaya Bello’s mother in 2014 and many other robberies and kidnappings, stressing that efforts were being intensified to arrest other fleeing members of the gang adding they will be charged to court on completion of investigation.
One of the suspects who is also the gang leader, Hon. Iliyasu Suleiman in an interview with journalists said he was local government official in Okene between 2008-2011, stressing that he was the one that masterminded the kidnap of the Kogi state governor’s mother.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has introduced a new tactical squad named ‘Operations Absolute Sanity’ to rid off kidnappers along the ever busy Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday, Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood said the IGP deployed a Joint Police Team comprising Special Police Force, Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Squad, Anti-Kidnapping Units, Intelligence Response Team, Special Tactical Squad, the Force Intelligence Branch, the Police Mobile Force with Headquarters at Rijanah, Kaduna State.
He said the Joint Police Team were under specific and definite mandate to rout out the kidnap-for-ransom gangs and armed robbery gangs that have being terrorising the Abuja-Kaduna Highway in recent times, adding that the operations was to complement and augment the on-going Joint Police/Military operations on ground.
According to him, the police helicopters would also embark on aerial surveillance and guided missions to assist the operation Absolute Sanity’s personnel on the ground in covering difficult terrains.
“To achieve success of the operations Absolute sanity, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations has been mandated to supervise the operation as overall Commander while the Deputy Commissioner of Police, In-Charge of the Police Mobile Force is the Grand Commander of the Operations.
“The Police personnel will be proactive and work on actionable Intelligence at the disposal of the Force and carry out massive deployment and twenty four (24) hours surveillance and patrol, continuous raids of identified and other suspected hideouts of the kidnappers with a view to arresting them promptly before they attack innocent people.
“They will also nip in the bud other violence crimes such as armed robbery, car snatching etc on Abuja-Kaduna,” he said.
