Five suspects arrested over kidnap of Kogi gov’s mother as IGP deploys special team to Abuja-Kaduna Highway

Detectives from the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, have arrested five suspects in connection with the kidnapping of Hajia Hawawu Bello, mother of Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, on May 29, 2014.
Bello was the Managing Director of Fair Plus Transport Services when her mother was kidnapped in Uvete, Adavi Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects are Iliyasu Suleiman, 44, former Councillor and gang leader, Danjuma Ibrahim, 26, Iliyasu Obadaki, 35, Alhaji Nasiru, 43, and Hafiz Yakubu.
Items recovered from them include two AK 47 rifles; 20 live cartridges; one army camouflage inner wear; two army camouflage pair of trousers, two army camouflage caps, one black Beretta; two plastic guns; three sharp knives and one axe.
Force Police Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja.
Moshood said that all the suspects had confessed to the kidnapping of the governor’s mother and other robberies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kogi and Niger states.
The Force spokesman said that efforts were being intensified to arrest other fleeing members of the gang while the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigation.
He enjoined members of the public to cooperate with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to prevent crime and criminality in their localities.
In a related development, Moshood said the Inspector-General of Police had deployed a joint police team to the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
He said the team comprised Special Police Force, Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Squad, the Force Intelligence Team with its headquarters at Rijanah, Kaduna State.
He said that the team was under specific mandate to root out the kidnap for ransom gangs and armed robbery gangs terrorising the route.
Moshood said that the operation was to complement and augment the ongoing Joint Police/Military operations on ground before now.
“The police personnel will be proactive and work on actionable intelligence at the disposal of the force and carry out massive deployment,” he said.
He said that Idris urged members of the public, especially commuters and people in towns and villages along the road to assist and cooperate with the police.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operation, Mr Hyacinth Dagala, has been mandated to supervise the operation.