Residents of
Kaduna Metropolis can now sleep with their eyes closed following the recent
clamp down on a dreaded gang of kidnappers made up of Fulani Herdsmen who had
held the entire State hostage.
The suspectsý who were rounded up from their
hideouts in Kaduna and Zaria by operatives of the Inspector General of Police
Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, were alleged to be behind the March
21, 2016, abduction of the President and Vice
President of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria, HEKAN,ý, Rev Emmanuel
Dziggan, and Rev Illiya Anthony respectively and another pastor of the church,
ýRev Yakubu Dzarmaý, at Dutse village in Kaduna State. The gang was also said
to have kidnapped a staff at the Presidential Villa, Abuja and many
others.
Suspects
Crime Guard gathered that IGP Solomon Arase was inundated ý
with complaints about the activities of the gang within Kaduna State, as they
made the Kaduna-Abuja Road ýhellish for motorists. Members of the gang were
identified as Kashimu Shehu aka Baliago
, the gang Leader; Aliyu Mato, aka, Yellow; Muhammedu Mamman; Hassan Bello;
Bala Mohammed and Ishiaku Kabiru. After picking their victims, members of the
gang would make them trek for hours in a
deep forest off the Abuja-Kaduna Road, before arriving their camp close to
Tapher Village Kaduna State.
The gang
was also said to have also raked in millions in ransom from their respective
victims, creating an overwhelming sense of insecurity among residents of Kaduna
State. Arase, who was said to have been miffed by the development in Kaduna
State then ordered the operatives of his elite Special Intelligence Response
Team, IRT, to proceed to the State to track down the hoodlums and put an end to
their activities.
It was gathered that
the operatives, on arriving the state gathered several intelligence from the
locals for two weeks before swooping on the suspects. Two of the suspects,
Kabiru and Bello were said to have been
arrested at the naming ceremony organized by their gang leader, Shehu, at Gidan
Kasimu, Mai-Yahsi Village , in Dutse-Wai Kubua Local Government area of Kaduna
State who provided information that led to the arrest of other members of the
gang.
During interrogations, Crime Guard gathered that the suspects confessed
to crimes and they also narrated how they kidnapped their victims. Some of
their victims were also able to identify the suspects. Suspects’
confessions Aliyu Haruna I am Aliyu
Haruna, 30-years-old and I am a Fulani
by tribe. I was born in Kastina State but I grew up in Sabo Gayan area of Kaduna
State.
I attended Alamajiri school at Gidan Abdulmumuni, Sabo Gayan
Village. I am a famer, I rear cattle
and I am also a commercial motorcycle operator. I am married and we are blessed with three
children. I have about 10 cows. But on the 24th of April 2016, I was arrested
by some policemen from Abuja at a naming ceremony at Gidan Kasimu, in Mai Yahsi
Village, in Dutse-Wai Kubua Local
Government area of Kaduna State.
The naming ceremony was organized by one of
our gang leaders, Kasimu Shehu, aka
Babajo. I joined the gang of kidnappers some time in April 2016, and we are six
members in that gang. The other members are Shehu, Musa, Yakil, Aliu and Bashiru. We have one Ak
47 rifle that is always in the possession of our gang leader Kasimu Shehu.
Some
time in April, Shehu called me and said I should bring food for them, that they
had kidnapped one man Auden in Jangwan village off Kaduna-Abuja Expressway. I saw Shehu with AK
47 rifle in the bush when I went to deliver the food to him. I used my motorcycle
to deliver the food to them inside the bush.
Shehu promised to pay me N200,000 once the ransom has been paid, but I was given just N1000
when I delivered the food. I know I have
committed a crime.
One of us, Mohammedu
Maman, a cousin to Kasimu Shehu is our gang member, his duty is to guard the
hostages in the camp. He was the one who
guarded one Nassarawa State indigene in the camp when he was kidnapped. Aliyu
Haruna I am Aliyu Haruna, 30 years-old, a Fulani by tribe and a native of
Kaduna State. I am married to two wives
and I have five children.
I had
Alamajir Education and I work as a security guard at a satchet water company on
Yakowa Way Kaduna State. I am also into
land business with my friend Sani. I joined this kidnap gang last year and we
are six members in the group. Members of the gang are, Kasimu Shehu who is our
leader; Bashiru, Yaki, Musa, Bello and myself.
We have one Ak47 rifle and it is always with our gang leader Shehu.
Sometime in January 2016, my gang kidnapped somebody whom I didn’t know.
I was aware they kidnapped someone but I didn’t see the person, it was after the person was released that our gang leader, Shehu called me and
gave me N100,000 as my share. On April
14, 2016, I, Shehu, Bello, Musa, Yakub and Bashiru went to Audu Jagwan with one
Ak47 rifle to kidnap a staff at the Presidential Villa. We found him praying
along the road and we ordered him to follow us at gun point into the bush. I
don’t know the person who gave Shehu the information about the man but we got a ransom of N1million before the man was released
.
I got N200,000 as my share and the
only role I played was to escort the man to the camp where he was kept. Kasimu
Shehuý I am Kasimu Shehu, 27-year-old, a Fulani by tribe and a native of Mai-Yahsi Village in Dutse-Wai Kubua Local Government Area of
Kaduna State. I attended an Alamajiri
School at Peleke-Tasher Tsamya Village, Zaria, Kaduna State. I am married to
two wives and I am blessed with two children. I have over 40 cows at Audu
Jangwan Village along the Abuja- kaduna Road. I am not part of the kidnap gang
as my friends; Aliyu Haruna, and Hassan Bello alleged.
I am not the leader of any kidnap gang. I was
not involved in the kidnap of the pastors or a staff of the presidency as
alleged. I don’t have an Ak47 rifle as alleged but I have a locally made gun
which I bought for N600,000 from one late old man who lived in Kauran
Wali-Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. I am using the gun to protect my cows though
I don’t have a license for the gun. The locally made gun is with one Mathew for
repair at Tunga Sabo Village, Rigina, Kaduna State”.
Victims Narrate
ordeal Rev. Yakubu Dzarma
“I am Rev,Yakubu Dzarmaý , I am 63-year-old and I am a native Kaduna
state. On march 21, 2016, myself, Reverend Emmanuel and Ilia Anto, went to a clear the
church site for a seminary school around 4pm and when we were done with the clearing and were
about to enter into our vehicles, a Toyota Highlander SUV and a Sienna saloon
car, some hoodlums who were all armed with AK47 rifles surrounded us and
ordered us to surrender all our valuables including cash .
They collected fro
me N64,00 cash, my Techno Phone valued at 78,000 and my shoe, valued at
N20,000 and they ordered us into the
bush and we started trekking. One hour
after we’ve trekked a very long distance, one of our pastors Ilia Anto, who was
sick told them that he could not go any further and he complained about his
health. They started beating him and when they saw that he wasn’t ready to move
again, they left him but used his phone to call his last dialed number and gave
the person the location where to find pastor Anto and we then continued
trekking.
24 hours later we got to their
camp. They have four camps within the area.
Each camp contains nothing less than ten men all armed with AK47 rifles.
The next day they used my cell phone to call my wife and gave her three numbers
she should call. They gave us five days
to pay the ransom or they would kill us but we stayed with them for nine days
before a ransom of N4million was paid to them. They shot indiscriminately into
the air while we were all at the camp.
We also left four kidnaped women in the camp, one of whom was pregnant.
I can confidently identify one of the suspects arrested by the IRT
Operatives and his name is Kasimu Shehu.
Muhammed Dan Azumi I am Muhammed Dan Azumi, 40-year-old. I am a civil servant and a native of Nasarawa
State. On April 14, 2016, around 5:30pm, I was with my wife and one other
woman, Hajara , praying at Audu Jangwan and after a while some hoodlums came
out of nowhere and surrounded us. They
took my wife and asked her to go because she was eight months pregnant.
The hoodlums then ordered Hajara and I
into the bush, but on our way one of them took Hajara on a bike to the camp.
They were six gang members with one Ak47, machete and sticks. They claimed to be Boko
Haram and we trekked with them for 18
hours inside the bush before we got to an uncomeplted building that was used as
their camp.
When we arrived they asked
me and Hajara to cooperate with them or they would kill us. They demanded N10million as ransom but after
serious negotiation it was reduced to
N3million , but they later collected N1 million from my boss before Hajara and I
were released after three days in the bush with them. They also
collected the sum of N20000 that was with me when I was kidnapped whilebthey
inflicted a deep cut injury on my head.
When I heard that the hoodlums had been arrested I went to Metro Police
Station Kaduna, though it was night but they brought the suspects to me and I
was able to identify Haruna Aliyu, aka Yellow “ Meanwhile, the Police Force Public Relation, Olabisi
Kolawole, while confirming the arrest said the
kidnappers, who had been terrorizing Kaduna and Zaria areas of Kaduna
State will soon be arraigned in court. She added that the arrest of the
kidnappers was an indication of the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the fight against all forms
of crimes and criminality in the country.
According to her, ”the IGP while
commending the Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and other Police
operatives involved in the arrest of the suspects for their dedication and
professionalism, efforts are ongoing to
apprehend the fleeing members of the gang.ý The Inspector-General of Police
also appealed to the citizens to support the Nigeria Police Force by providing
useful information that could help in unmasking the criminal elements in the
country.”
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