The Kaduna State Police Command, apprehended 580 individuals for various crimes, including kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, and other related offenses across the state.
The arrests were made during multiple operations conducted between December 31, 2024, and February 2025.
Speaking at the Command’s headquarters, Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, provided details of the operations.
He confirmed that 30 kidnap victims were rescued, and stolen vehicles, motorcycles, and other items were recovered from the suspects.
According to the police, among those arrested were 20 suspected bandits, 32 armed robbery suspects, 320 phone snatchers, and five car thieves.
On February 10, 2025, police officers from the Gadar Gayan Outpost, acting on reliable intelligence, tracked and arrested two suspects, Inusa Ibrahim, 18, and Hamisu Musa, 18, both from Kangimin Gobirawa Village.
They were caught making phone calls to suspected bandits, supplying them with the names of individuals targeted for kidnapping.
During subsequent interrogations, the suspects admitted to their involvement in the crime and are currently in custody as investigations continue.
On January 15, 2025, officers from the Anti-Car Theft Section, after receiving credible intelligence, raided the Mando area and apprehended two suspects, Ibrahim Abubakar and Surakatu Usman, for their involvement in a motorcycle theft syndicate.
The suspects confessed to snatching motorcycles using violent tactics, including attacking victims with a sledgehammer or strangling them with cables.
They also identified Yahya Muhammad, a receiver of the stolen motorcycles, who was arrested with three recovered TVS motorcycles.
In another operation on February 2, 2025, police, along with military personnel, raided a forest near Doka Village in Kajuru Local Government Area.
There, they confronted a group of armed bandits attempting to relocate their victims to Kajuru Forest.
The security forces engaged the bandits in a gunfight, forcing them to flee with gunshot wounds, leading to the rescue of 23 victims previously abducted in Kauru Local Government Area.
On January 23, 2025, officers arrested a notorious car thief, Abubakar, at the Water Suit Hotel in Mando, Kaduna, where he was found in possession of a Toyota Yaris suspected to have been stolen.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to a long history of car theft and admitted that the vehicle in his possession was stolen from Kano.
He remains in custody pending further investigation and charges.
The Commissioner of Police commended the efforts of the police in these operations and issued a stern warning to criminals in the region.
“I want to use this opportunity to warn criminal elements that Kaduna State is no longer a safe haven for criminals,” he said.
“We will continue to strengthen our intelligence network, enhance our response capabilities, and collaborate with other security agencies to dismantle criminal syndicates, he continued.
He also urged the citizens of Kaduna to remain law-abiding and to support law enforcement efforts.
“Security is a collective responsibility, and together, we can build a safer and more peaceful Kaduna State, he concluded.
