Police Recover 134 Rounds of Ammunition from Motorcyclist

By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna

The Kaduna State Police Command says it has recorded significant breakthroughs in the last month, with the arrest of a suspected gun runner, three bandit kingpins, and a gang linked to armed robbery and rape around Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Kaduna. He said the operations reflect the Command’s shift to intelligence-led policing and closer collaboration with communities and sister agencies.

The most dramatic seizure happened on August 25 at about 9pm. Operatives from Sabon Gari Division responded to a distress call from Yan’Karfe Motor Park in Zaria after a man was seen struggling with a sack of potatoes.

Inside the sack, police found two AK-49 rifles, 228 rounds of RPG ammunition, 275 rounds of 7.62mm AK-47 ammunition, five AK-47 magazines, and quantities of suspected hard drugs. The suspect, Kenneth, 39, from Delta State, is in custody.

A day earlier, on August 24, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit acting on credible intelligence arrested three suspected bandits at Audu Jangwam along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.

They were identified as Ibrahim Muhammad alias Alti, 25, from Adamawa State, Usman Tukur alias Mallam, 27, from Zamfara State, and Hassan Alhaji Salisu alias Tagwaye, 23, from Gusau LGA, Zamfara State. During interrogation, they confessed to operating in Millennium City and other suburbs of Kaduna.

The Command also traced and arrested Gideon Martins, 32, of Jay-Jay Street, Sabon Tasha, on July 22. A search of the suspect yielded one locally made double-barrel gun, one handcuff, one live 9mm round, two cartridges, a POS machine, a drilling machine, and assorted security uniforms.

On August 25, police on stop-and-search duty along Kachia Road intercepted a motorcyclist with a sack. The sack contained 134 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition. The rider told investigators he was conveying the consignment on the orders of a notorious bandit known as Yellow Mai-million.

In another operation on August 15 along the Zaria-Kano Expressway, operatives sighted men loading items into an unregistered Volkswagen Golf. The occupants fled on sighting police, abandoning 11 sacks of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis. A manhunt for the suspects has begun.

The Command, working with ABU Security and the CJTF, also broke a syndicate behind a wave of armed robbery and rape in communities behind ABU Zaria. Three men were arrested on August 15 following distress calls from Rafin Tukurwa Village.

The suspects are Jamilu Yau alias Jagwa, 20, Abdullahi Hamisu alias Maikudi Santsi, 25, both of Tudun Natsira, and Sani Abubakar alias Gaye, 20, of Rafin Tukurwa.

According to police, Jagwa and Gaye confessed to multiple attacks in Gidan Kira, Magata and Gidan Maranta villages where victims were robbed at knifepoint and sexually assaulted. They said they used a “grave stick” charm allegedly supplied by Maikudi Santsi. More victims and village heads have since reported similar cases against Santsi.

In Kajuru LGA, a 27-year-old man, Barnabas Amale of Iburu Village, was arrested on August 19 after threatening farmers with a pistol during an attempted phone theft in Idon-Gida. Investigation linked him to Victor Patrick, 37, who police say collected the firearm from one Oyou Movel, now at large.

The Command also recovered a white Toyota Hilux, registration DKA 174 LY, belonging to the Kaduna State Water Board. The vehicle was stolen from Ungwan Rimi on August 18 and tracked to Kano State, where the thieves abandoned it and escaped.

On August 26, operatives arrested Abdullahi Abubakar and Shehu Sani, both from Makera, Kajuru LGA, over the armed robbery and vandalism of the Infectious Disease Centre in Mando. Police said the gang scaled the fence, tied up five security guards, and vandalized a transformer.

CP Muhammad said the Metropolitan Area Command and the Task Force have intensified patrols and raids on criminal hideouts to cut off movement and logistics for bandits, robbers and kidnappers.

He condemned attacks on public infrastructure as sabotage against public health and safety, and urged residents to protect government facilities in their communities and provide timely information to police.

The Commissioner made a direct appeal to the judiciary to allow police to parade suspects arrested with exhibits. He argued that public parade deters crime and informs communities about police efforts.

CP Muhammad thanked the Inspector General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and Governor Senator Uba Sani for support, and commended Kaduna residents for information that led to the arrests. He said all suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.