Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have arrested one Hashiru Baku, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of late Brigadier General Harold Udokwere.
Udokwere who was the national chairman of the Retired Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces, was murdered by armed robbers who invaded his residence on June 22 and took away his gun.
The police had arrested and paraded Ibrahim Rabiu, Nafiu Jamil, Aliyu Abdullahi and Mohammed Nuhu in connection with the crime on June 24.
Addressing newsmen while parading the suspects, the Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, said Hashiru Baku was arrested in Kano while trying to run away from the country.
Igweh said the suspected kingpin was an escapee from the Kuje correctional centre.
He said: “I did show you the four killers, kidnappers, and robbers that went and killed retired Brigadier General Uwe Harrod. Today, I will show you the organiser of the killing and the robbery.
“Also, we have recovered the General’s gun that was with him. We have recovered the wristwatch of the General and the wife’s jewellery which they stole from the house.
“The organiser is here and we have arrested him. He is the organiser. He was in prison and during the Kuje correctional centre attack he escaped. Instead of repenting, he continued with more audacity. We arrested him in Kano where he was trying to exit the country. We recovered 79 bottles of 100ml of codeine in his residence. So, that’s what they take to make them high.”
He also said the trio of Ibrahim Yakubu, Uguwu Joseph, and Mukhata Abdullahi were arrested for armed robbery.
He said: “They came to FCT to rob. This red vehicle is their operational vehicle. As they organised to rob, they didn’t know we had intelligence. We apprehended them where they were about to rob. And we recovered these two English pistols and ammunition from them.”
According to the CP, the eight suspects were arrested at the Kabusa Panteka spot. A trailer containing used car parts, armoured cables, one pickup truck, and two buses were recovered from them.
He also said two other robbers on the watchlist of the command were arrested.
The suspects according to him are Saidi Mohammed and Miracle Felix.
“The suspects confessed to being a gang of robbers who have been operating around Wuse II and Mpape axis for a while now. The suspects will be charged to court after investigations,” he added.
