Police parade 11 suspected kidnappers of Sierra Leonean envoy

IGP orders CPs to be swift in response to crime
Eleven suspected kidnappers of the Deputy High Commissioner of Sierra Leone to Nigeria, Maj-Gen. Alfred Claude-Nelson, were on Tuesday paraded at the Police Force headquarters.

Claude-Nelson was kidnapped on June 30 along Kaduna-Abuja Road by suspected gunmen and freed on July 5.The gang leader confessed that they actually collected a ransom of N1.5 million before releasing the envoy.

This is coming as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has ordered all states Commissioners of Police (CPs) to step up their response rate to complaints of criminalities in their areas.

Idris ordered that the same intelligence based operations should be replicated throughout the country to flush out all criminals. He directed Commissioners of Police and Technical/Operation Commanders to improve the response rate on issues of crimes and criminalities.

The IGP also assured all citizens of protecting their fundamental human rights, as well the Diplomatic community of their safety and adequate security in Nigeria.

Parading the suspects yesterday at the Louis Edet House in Abuja, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Don Awunah said, the suspects were arrested after a tactical surveillance of the Abuja – Kaduna road, where the gang operates most and the efforts of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit.

The suspects are Rabiu Yusuf, 45 years old male, who is also the gang leader, Garba Abubakar, his second in command, 27 years old, also nick named ‘Habu’. Other members of the gang include: 20 years old Yusuf Adamu, Hussaini Musa, 35 years old Shuaibu Idris, Usman Bello, Musa Ali, Mohammed Abubakar, Suleiman Abubakar, Gambo Ibrahim and 32 years old Balarabe Mohammed.

The recovered weapons from the suspects include: “Three AK-47 rifles, three AK-47 rifle magazines loaded with 90 rounds of ammunitions and two sets of military camouflage uniforms.

Awunah said that the gang’s mode of operation included mounting of roadblocks on highways in military uniforms and surprise attacks on unsuspecting motorists. Others include relocating their victims from one point to the other in the forest to avoid detection and arrest, he said.

Though the Police said they do not have details if any ransom was collected before the envoy was released, the suspected gang leader speaking in Hausa while answering questions from journalists said they collected a ransom of N1.5 million.

When asked who supplied arms to their gang for the numerous operations, Alhaji Rabiu said they have a special rental arrangement, where they collect and return after operation. ‘’We have done only two operations so far”, he stated.