A kidnapping kingpin and notorious armed robber, who recently masterminded the kidnap of the Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Muhammed Mahmood, along Abuja- Kaduna road, has been killed by the police in a shoot-out.
A statement issued on Sunday by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the suspect, Sumaila Sule, alias ‘Shaho’(estimated to be in his mid-thirties), a native of Rijana village in Kachia LGA of Kaduna State, died in the early hours of Saturday, May 18, following multiple bullet wounds he sustained during a deadly shootout with police operatives attached to Operation Puff Adder.
Sule, according to the police is one of the most vicious and most wanted kidnappers that have been terrorizing citizens in Kaduna and its environs. He and his gang kidnapped Mahmood alongside his daughter while they were travelling from Kaduna to Abuja in April.
“The shootout took place in the evening of 17th May 2019, at the outskirts of Rijana village. The police operatives, in line with the mandate of Operation Puff Adder, were carrying out routine surveillance and raid of suspected criminal hide-outs, when they suddenly came under gun fire attack from a heavily armed criminal gang. The police team fought back gallantly, repelling the attack and eventually bringing Shaho down, whilst his gang members fled. Shaho was rushed to hospital, where he eventually died the next day,” the statement said.
The police added that meanwhile, acting on information extracted from the suspect before his death, police operatives, between the 18th and 19th of May 2019, carried out sweeping follow-up operations at different target locations.
“These coordinated operations led to the arrest of four other members of Shaho’s gang and the recovery of three (3) AK 47 rifles. The arrested gang members include: Musa Hassan 26yrs, Yau Umar 25yrs, Umar Musa 22yrs and Muhammad Sani 28yrs , all males and natives of Rijana Village Kachia LGA Kaduna State,” according to the statement.
“Shaho and his gang members have been on the radar of the intelligence community for a while, as they have been implicated in several high-level kidnappings and other heinous crimes along Kaduna-Abuja road and beyond,” the statement added.
In a similar vein, a combined team of Operation Puff Adder operatives, comprising of the IGP Response Team, the Technical Intelligence Unit, the Police Mobile Force and the Special Anti Robbery Squad have arrested another set of kidnappers who have been terrorizing citizens at Mubi axis of Adamawa state. One AK 47 rifle and twenty six (26) rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the gang, the statement said.
The suspects arrested are: Umaru Ibrahim native of Buni Yadi Yobe State; Abdul Maina native of Maiha Adamawa State and Mohammed Abubakar native of Buni Yadi Yobe State. The suspects have all confessed to participating in numerous kidnapping and armed robbery operations within Adamawa State, including the kidnap and collection of a ransom of seven million naira from one Mallam Abdulahi Umoru of Hong L.G.A.
“Investigations into these cases are on-going, while efforts aimed at arresting other members of the gangs still at large are being intensified,” the statement said.
While commending police operatives for their gallantry, as well as selfless service to the nation and humanity, the Acting Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu reassured Nigerians that the war against crimes and criminality will soon be won. He called for continuous support for the police and other law enforcement agencies, promising that the security agencies will not rest on their oars till normalcy is restored in every part of Nigeria.
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
