The Police high command on Sunday announced the killing of a suspected mastermind of the recent kidnap of the Board Chairman, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC ) and his daughter and confirmed the arrest of seven suspected kidnappers
UBEC Chairman, Muhammed Mahmood and his daughter were kidnapped on April 29 around Katari Village, along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway and later released.
Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, in a statement said the suspect was killed on Saturday during a shootout with operatives attached to “Operation Puff Adder”.
He said :“A kidnapping kingpin and notorious armed robber, who recently masterminded the kidnap of the UBEC Chairman along Abuja- Kaduna road is dead.”
Mba added that the suspect, Sumaila Sule, alias Shaho, who was in his mid-thirties, was a native of Rijana village in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
He explained that the suspect died following multiple bullet wounds he sustained during the shootout.
Mba said that the operatives were carrying out routine surveillance when they came under attack from a heavily armed criminal gang at the outskirts of Rijana village.
In a related development, Mba said the police also arrested four members of Sule’s gang during a follow-up operation.
He identified the suspects as Musa Hassan, 26; Yau Umar, 25; Umar Musa, 22, and Muhammad Sani, 28, all natives of Rijiana village.
Mba noted that Sule and his gang members were involved in several heinous crimes along the Abuja- Kaduna highway, which placed them on the radar of the intelligence community.
He said that a combined team of security operatives had also arrested three suspected kidnappers who were terrorizing citizens at Mubi axis of Adamawa.
The suspects were named as Umaru Ibrahim, a native of Yadi Buni, Yobe; Abdul Maina, from Maiha, Adamawa, and Mohammed Abubakar from Buni Yadi, Yobe.
He also stated that the suspects had confessed to participating in several kidnapping and armed robbery operations within Adamawa, including the kidnap and collection of a ransom of N7 million from Mallam Abdulahi Umoru of Hong Local Government Area of the state.
“Investigations into these cases are on-going, while efforts aimed at arresting other members of the gangs still at large are being intensified,” he stated, adding that the acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had reassured Nigerians that the war against crimes and criminality would soon be won.
The police spokesman called for continuous support for the police and other law enforcement agencies, adding that the security agencies would not rest on their oars till normalcy was restored in every part of the country.
The press release reads in full:
PRESS RELEASE
MASTER MIND OF THE KIDNAP OF UBEC CHAIRMAN KILLED IN SHOOT-OUT WITH PUFF ADDER OPERATIVES
• Seven other kidnappers arrested in the last 24 Hours
• Four AK 47 Rifles, 26 Live Ammunition recovered
A kidnapping kingpin and notorious armed robber, who recently masterminded the kidnap of the UBEC Chairman along Abuja- Kaduna road is dead. The suspect, one Sumaila Sule, alias SHAHO, male (estimated be in his mid thirties), a native of Rijana village in Kachia LGA of Kaduna state is one of the most vicious and most wanted kidnappers that has been terrorizing citizens in Kaduna and its environs. He died in the early hours of 18th May, 2019 following multiple bullet wounds he sustained during a deadly shootout with police operatives attached to Operation Puff Adder.
The shootout took place in the evening of 17th May 2019, at the outskirts of Rijana village. The police operatives, in line with the mandate of Operation Puff Adder, were carrying out routine surveillance and raid of suspected criminal hide-outs, when they suddenly came under gun fire attack from a heavily armed criminal gang. The police team fought back gallantly, repelling the attack and eventually bringing SHAHO down, whilst his gang members fled. SHAHO was rushed to hospital, where he eventually died the next day.
Meanwhile, acting on information elicited from the suspect before his death, police operatives, between the 18th and 19th of May 2019, carried out sweeping follow-up operations at different target locations. These coordinated operations led to the arrest of four other members of SHAHO’s gang and the recovery of three (3) AK 47 rifles. The arrested gang members include: MUSA Hassan 26yrs, Yau Umar 25yrs, Umar MUSA 22yrs and Muhammad SANI 28yrs , all males and natives of Rijiana Village Kachia LGA Kaduna State. SHAHO and his gang members have been on the radar of the intelligence community for a while, as they have been implicated in several high level kidnappings and other heinous crimes along Kaduna-Abuja road and beyond.
In a similar vein, a combined team of Operation Puff Adder operatives, comprising of the IGP Response Team, the Technical Intelligence Unit, the Police Mobile Force and the Special Anti Robbery Squad have arrested another set of kidnappers who have been terrorizing citizens at Mubi axis of Adamawa state. One AK 47 rifle and twenty six (26) rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the gang.
The suspects arrested are: Umaru Ibrahim native of Yadi Buni, Yobe State ; Abdul Maina native of Maiha Adamawa State and Mohammed Abubakar native of Buni Yadi Yobe State. The suspects have all confessed to participating in numerous kidnapping and armed robbery operations within Adamawa State, including the kidnap and collection of a ransom of seven million naira from one Mallam Abdulahi Umoru of Hong L.G.A.
Investigations into these cases are on-going, while efforts aimed at arresting other members of the gangs still at large are being intensified.
While commending police operatives for their gallantry, as well as selfless service to the nation and humanity, the Inspector General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu NPM, mni has reassured Nigerians that the war against crimes and criminality will soon be won. The IGP called for continuous support for the police and other law enforcement agencies, promising that the security agencies will not rest on their oars till normalcy is restored in every part of Nigeria.
DCP FRANK MBA
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA