Amid the ongoing COVID-19 scourge and the concomitant increase in crime rate in parts of the country, the Nigeria Police Special Tactical Squad (STS) has smashed a two-man car stealing gang led by 34-year-old Bashir Isiaku, notorious for stealing cars from the car park of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).
A statement issued on Tuesday by the Force Public Relations Officer Frank Mba, said the arrest of Bashir, a graduate of one of the Federal Polytechnics, came after painstaking efforts and investigations by operatives of the STS to hunt down the criminals.
“Bashir and his accomplice, Aminu Yakubu specialised in using customised master key, crafted out of screwdriver to open and start vehicles. Police investigations show that their choices of cars are ones without special security features such as pedal or steering locks. A total of twenty-one (21) vehicles have so far been recovered from the hoodlums and their criminal receivers,” the statement said.
Frank also disclosed that criminal receivers have also been arrested in different towns and states, adding the Inspector-General of Police ( IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has vowed to make life difficult for criminals as the nation takes measures to curb the pandemic.
The followings are the arrested: “In Funtua – Rilwanu Garba, Ibrahim Hassan, Kabiru Aliyu, Sikiru Danjuma, Bashir Abba; in Sokoto – Dodo Danbello, Mudeen Adelera, Nasiru Bello, Hassan Bawa; in Kucheri – Magazine Garba; in Tsafe – Yushehu Abdullahi; in Gusau – Abdurazaq Adekoya; and in Marafa – Kabiru Aliyu,” the PRO said.
According to the statement, recovered vehicles comprise 2 Opel Vectra, 1 Toyota Camry, 1 Honda CRV, 2 Toyota Carinae, 7 Golf-3, 1 Toyota Corolla, 6 Honda Civic and 1 Toyota Avensis.
He further said that the suspects claimed that they found it easy to steal in JUTH due to the lax security at the premises. He added that police investigations reveal that their choice cars are Toyota products, Honda products, and Volkswagen, especially the Golf brand because these brands of cars are in high demand by criminal receivers, either in whole or in parts across the country and other neighboring countries.
“In light of the above, members of the public whose cars were stolen between January 2019 and March 2020, within the premises of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) are advised to come forward for possible identification and recovery,” Mba said.
He also urged Nigerians to take extra measures to secure their cars by utilising special security features such as steering or pedal locks, tracking systems, etc. He also encouraged institutions and organizations to enhance security and access control within their premises to minimise the possibility of theft and other mischief by criminals.
In a related development, the police disclosed that a 28 -year old female armourer, Fatima Garba, has been arrested alongside her gang of kidnappers and armed robbers, notorious for attacking innocent Nigerians around Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna and Niger States.
“As an armourer, Fatima was responsible for ensuring the safety of the weapons used by the gang whenever not in use. Fatima, who confessed of being the gang’s armourer for over a year, claimed to receive a handsome reward each time the weapons were returned to her after each operation. She acknowledged knowing that the arms which she usually kept in a neatly dug hole in her compound were used for robberies, kidnapping and other criminal purposes.
“Investigations show that Fatima, who is a trader and single mother of two was recruited by her boyfriend Abubakar Usman. Other members of the gang include: Samaila Usman, ‘m’, aged 28, Mohammed Ibrahim ‘m’ aged 30, Mohammed Agali ‘m’, aged 22, Dahiru Bello ‘m’ aged 33, Shamsu Mohammed ‘m’ aged 30, Mohammed Usman ‘m’ aged 37, Umar Abdullahi ‘m’ 33, Buhari Abubakar ‘m’ aged 33 and Abubakar Garba ‘m’ aged 37,” the police said.
The police said that since they began operations, the gang is estimated to have made over twelve million naira from their various criminal escapades.
Recovered from the gang are: 5AK47 rifles, 1G3 rifle, 1 Berretta pistol, 1476 rounds of ammunition and 36 rounds of G3 ammunition. Others are; 6 AK47 magazines, 1 operational vehicle, 8 mobile phones and Box containing operational tools.
“All the suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations,” the police said.
Meanwhile, the IGP has assured Nigerians of the continued commitment of the Force to the protection of lives and property and rid the country of crime and criminality especially during the period of lockdown.
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
