Kaduna Police Arrest Suspects Over Banditry, Gunrunning, Recover Stolen Vehicles, Fake Dollars

The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested several suspects in separate operations targeting banditry, gunrunning, vehicle theft and suspected counterfeit currency trafficking across the state.

The command also recovered firearms, two allegedly stolen vehicles and more than 300 suspected counterfeit US dollar notes during the operations, Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, said in a statement issued on Thursday.

One of the operations took place in the Kidandan area of Giwa Local Government Area after police received intelligence that suspected bandits were disrupting farming activities in the community.

Hassan said police operatives, supported by members of the Kaduna Vigilance Service, confronted the suspects, who allegedly opened fire before retreating into the bush. The security team recovered a pump-action rifle, two cartridges and a motorcycle abandoned by the fleeing suspects.

In another operation around the Maraban Jos axis, police reportedly mounted roadblocks after receiving information about the movement of suspected gunrunners. The suspects escaped into the bush, abandoning nine locally fabricated firearms, while efforts continued to apprehend them.

At Panteka in Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna, police arrested three suspects — Ashiru Ibrahim, Mohammed Ibrahim and Umar Hassan — while they were allegedly attempting to sell a stolen black GMK Jeep. The command said the vehicle, valued at about N70 million, was being offered for N4 million after allegedly being prepared for dismantling and sale as spare parts.

Preliminary investigations, according to the police, indicated that Ashiru allegedly stole the vehicle from Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he worked as a driver for a Chinese company. Police also recovered a white Toyota Hilux allegedly stolen from Agadez, Niger Republic, and arrested Abubakar Abdullahi, who was reportedly found with the vehicle after its chassis number was confirmed to match that of the reported stolen vehicle.

The command also arrested Kabir Yusuf in Barnawa, Kaduna, over alleged possession of counterfeit currency. Police said a search recovered 332 suspected fake $100 notes worth $33,200 and six suspected counterfeit N1,000 notes. Yusuf allegedly told investigators that he obtained the currency from Sahibu Ruhan of Kano State, who remains at large, as police intensify efforts to identify and arrest other members of the alleged network.