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The Intelligence Response Team(IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force, on Tuesday, advised Nigerians to cooperate with kidnappers if they fall victim for their own safety and to avoid being killed.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, gave the advice in Abuja, while parading 48 suspected high tech criminals including one 36-year-old Abubakar Haliru, who masterminded the kidnap of his cousin for ransom when he could not repay a loan from her.
Mba told newsmen that operatives of the Police-IRT led by DCP Olatunji Disu rounded up the suspects across different locations in the country following credible tip-offs.
The suspects were paraded for criminal activities such as kidnapping, culpable homicide, armed robbery, car theft, illegal possession of firearms and housebreaking amongst others at the IRT office in Guzape, Abuja.
During the parade, Mba advised members of the public, especially kidnap victims not to “struggle with their kidnappers but cooperate so as to be rescued by the police who were always on alert to combat the criminals.”
Mba told newsmen that Haliru was nabbed by the IRT for kidnapping Binta Mohammed, 48, his cousin who gave him a loan for the purchase of tricycle.
The suspect lured Mohammed to the kidnappers’ den and instructed them to extort money and kill her, after he failed to repay the loan she gave him.
“Fortunately for her, she escaped from the kidnappers in their hideout in Jigawa on the first day but landed in the den of other kidnappers but was able to make contact with the IRT Police team which led to the arrest of the suspect,” Mba said.
The police also paraded two other kidnappers, Salisu Abdullahi, 28, and Babangida Usman, 21, who were said to belong to a very wicked and notorious kidnap gang that kidnapped a professor at ATBU Bauchi and one owner of a filling station in Kaduna State.
The same criminal gang group was also paraded for kidnapping a Catholic priest, Rev Fr Tony Bawa, who was later released by the gang, among other crimes allegedly committed by them.
Similarly, armed robbery suspects- Abel Namfa, 23; Nankum Wasiu, 32, and Jonah Patrick, 25, were paraded for robbing a man of his Toyota Corolla car in Jos, before selling it to procure ammunitions for criminal activities.
Some exhibits recovered from the suspects include one GPMG, three AK-47 rifles, 10 laptops and some other arms and live ammunition.
The force spokesperson noted that most kidnap victims were persons related to their captors.
He assured that the police and other security agencies were not relenting on closing in on “these criminally-minded persons.”
Mba assured that all the suspects would be charged to the court after the conclusion of ongoing investigations.