Zamfara State police command said it has arrested 13 persons who specialised in raping women and snatching cars and motorcycles.
The state Police Commissioner, Usman Nagogo who briefed newsmen in his office on Wednesday, said the suspects were arrested at different locations in the state by operatives the Operation Puff Adder unit.
He said the syndicate modus operandi was to rob victims of their vehicles in their houses at gunpoint and also rape their family members in their presence.
The Police Commissioner noted that five of the suspects, namely Mohammed Dahiru (alias Emeka Pastor), Abubakar Ahmed, Abubakar Ibrahim, Sani Garba and Sama’ila Abubakar were car-snatchers, who used to snatch vehicles and later sell them in the Niger Republic.
According to him, four of such vehicles snatched and sold in the Niger Republic have far been recovered by the police.
Nagogo further explained that eight suspects; Mubarak Abdullahi, Sanusi Mohammed, Ahmed Bello, Usman Idris, Miss Abdullahi, Labaran Lauwali, Yasha’u Mamman and Lauwali Lalan were experts in motorcycles snatching.
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He disclosed that the police have recovered 26 motorcycles allegedly stolen and sold at different locations in the state.
“On October 4th last month, Operation Puff Adder attached to Tudun Wada Division arrested the above-mentioned hoodlums who have been terrorising the innocent people of Gusau and its environs with criminal activities ranging from armed robbery, house/shop-breaking, snatching of vehicles/motorcycles at gunpoint,” he said.
He further explained that their recent attack was at the house of a coordinator of the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, Zamfara State where they robbed him and made away with his official Toyota Hilux vehicle at gunpoint. They later took the vehicle to Niger Republic for sale.
He stated that all the suspects confessed to their past and recent crimes and further led the police investigation team to Suleja in Niger State as well as Niger Republic where three other stolen vehicles belonging to Nura Garba Daura, of Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nasiru Ahmed of Nasarawa Tudun Wada area, Gusau and Ibrahim Sani of Sabon Gari area, Gusau were recovered.
“All the vehicles were stolen at gunpoints and in some of the robberies, women were raped and subjected to all forms of humiliation,” the commissioner added.
He called on members of the public whose vehicles and motorcycles or other properties were stolen to come to the Police Command Headquarters with genuine documents for identification and possible release.
