Some armed robbers arrested by the Police in Kano, northern Nigeria have been linked with the assassination attempt on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Abdullahi Bayero on 19 January during which about six people died, while several others were wounded including the Emir’s two sons.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim K. Idris told newsmen during a Press Conference that Babangida Baba Salihu and Na’Allah SNU all from Jigawa state who were named by a gang of armed robbers arrested by his men were already declared wanted over the attack on the Emir of Kano’s convoy.
The Police boss told journalists that on 20 January, acting on a distress call from Jogana alerting the Police of a robbery incident, “we immediately dispatched an anti-robbery squad. Our men arrested Hashimu Ado and Mohammed Auwal, all from Katsina state, for conspiring with three others now at large to attack a Super Market in the area and robbed them of undisclosed amount of money.’
Items recovered from the suspected armed robbers include three AK 47 Riffles, five Magazines, 69 rounds of ammunitions and two mobile handsets. He said further investigation revealed that Babangida is the leader of the armed robbery gang who also engage in acts of terrorism, killing identified individuals and security men.
On 6 February, based on information, Police nabbed a group of terrorists at Yankaba axis within Kano metropolis carrying a large sack containing guns and Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDS.
The hoodlums on sighting the Police abandoned the bag and took to their heels. The bag was carefully secured and searched whereby it was found to be filled with six AK 47 Riffles, two assault rifles, Pistol, Riot Gunner, two IEDs, 13 Magazines, 723 of 5.56 live ammunitions, 157 of 7.6 live ammunitions 21 of .9mm live ammunition, 152 of 7.6 live ammunitions and 33 empty shells.
The IEDs, according to the Police boss, were safely detonated without injury on our men, adding that during cordon and search in the bush within area, 22 pictures, a ZE handset, two GSM handset batteries, a piece of memory card, a book containing GSM numbers, an ear-piece and two bags of clothes were recovered, while one of the suspects known as Adamu Safiyanu was declared wanted.
However, three suspected key members of the Boko Haram sect were yesterday arrested and detained by operatives of the Joint Task Force in Kano.
The arrest of the suspects was in continuation of raids by JTF to rid the state of the activities of gunmen. The three suspects were arrested, when the JTF carried an operation in the early hours of yesterday where they discovered a bomb factory in one of the raids in Chiranchi in the State Capital.
Other dangerous weapons allegedly found in the bomb factory, which had been demolished by men of the JTF were assorted arms and ammunitions, including four AK 47 Assault rifles.
Details of the ongoing raids in suspected flashpoints and hideouts of militants of the sect were sketchy as at press time as spokesman for JTF, Captain Iwediche Iweha declined comments when he was contacted on the development.
He said it would be too early to make press comments on the operations of JTF in the circumstance, adding that JTF would issue official statement on the raids upon conclusion of operations by JTF and subsequent investigation.