Police bust bandit provide community, uncover prison-based syndicate, nab 6

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF)  Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have arrested suspected suppliers of bikes to bandits working in Kaduna state, smashed an armed theft gang and recovered 5 firearms in separate intelligence-led operations throughout Kaduna and Plateau states.

The IRT Commander, Adamu Muazu, who disclosed this, Friday, whereas parading suspects  on the IRT workplace in Abuja, mentioned the operations additionally uncovered a suspected felony community concerned in kidnapping, banditry, terrorist financing, one-chance theft and the trafficking of stolen autos throughout state and worldwide borders.

Muazu mentioned two suspects, Nura Umar of Kidandan and Alhaji Rabiu Aliyu of Zaria, Kaduna state, have been arrested on August 29, 2026, over alleged involvement in kidnapping, banditry and terrorist financing.

He mentioned investigations revealed that Aliyu allegedly specialised in supplying bikes to bandits working inside Kaduna and neighbouring areas, whereas Umar served as his dispatcher, personally delivering the bikes to felony parts of their hideouts.

“The outdated man who’s seated there among the many suspects has been into this exercise for fairly a while. During evaluation of his telephones, we discovered that he was in touch with many of those bandits.

“He has been supplying motorcycles to them. The young man by his side is his dispatcher. The bandits trust the two of them. The young man normally delivers the motorcycles in person to the bandits in the bush,” he mentioned.

He mentioned one Honda CV 125 bike and not using a registration quantity was recovered from the suspects.

He mentioned in one other operation, the police operatives arrested a suspected one-chance automotive snatcher and armed robber, Abdullahi Abubakar, who allegedly has been terrorising Kaduna and its environs.

Muazu mentioned police arrested the suspect on October 12, 2026, at about 8:30 pm, following credible human and technical intelligence

He mentioned Abubakar, who had beforehand served a 13-year jail time period for the same offence, allegedly specialised in strangling victims earlier than dispossessing them of their valuables.

According to the Police boss, the suspect, throughout interrogation, recognized a gang chief, Boniface, who was already in Kaduna Correctional Centre, as the one that directed him to the gang’s hideout the place their operational firearms have been saved.

The commander mentioned the police obtained a warrant and recovered two pistols from the placement.

He added that investigations revealed that the gang had allegedly stolen a number of autos in Kaduna and neighbouring areas earlier than promoting them by way of receivers in Kano, Kaduna and Niger Republic.

Muazu, nonetheless, expressed concern that Boniface allegedly continued coordinating felony actions from jail.

“One of the astonishing facets of this case is the involvement of Boniface. Boniface is in jail and has been speaking with this syndicate and telling them what to do.

“Through the procurement of a reproduction warrant, we were able to trace where those pistols they had been using were located and recovered,” he mentioned.

The IRT commander mentioned Boniface was subsequently taken into police custody alongside the opposite suspects, including that investigations have been ongoing to ascertain the complete extent of the alleged felony community.

In a 3rd operation, he mentioned three suspected armed robbers and kidnappers have been arrested in Jos, Plateau state, with three domestically fabricated pistols and different reveals recovered.

The suspects, Benjamin Okafor, Moses Akintuyi and Emmanuel Megarfi, have been apprehended on November 2, 2026, at about 3:30 pm by IRT operatives on particular obligation within the state.

Muazu mentioned the suspects allegedly attacked a sufferer at gunpoint, dispossessed him of N200,000 money and made away together with his unregistered 2015 Toyota Corolla.

He famous that additionally they allegedly stole a laptop computer, three cellphones and three ATM playing cards earlier than withdrawing N800,000 from the sufferer’s checking account; simply as three fabricated pistols, one cartridge and the unregistered Toyota Corolla are amongst gadgets recovered from the suspects.

The commander additional disclosed that one of many suspects was a neighbour of the sufferer who allegedly joined different residents in sympathising with him shortly after the theft.

He mentioned intelligence-led investigations ultimately uncovered the suspect’s alleged involvement within the crime.

“One of the suspects happened to be a neighbour of the victim. After the incident, he was among the first to appear to sympathise with the victim. Unfortunately, through intelligence-led policing, he was caught,” Muazu mentioned.

The suspect reportedly claimed that he ventured into crime after dropping cash invested in mining actions following the destruction of property in his automobile.

Muazu mentioned the three suspects have been nonetheless being interrogated to ascertain their potential hyperlinks to different kidnapping incidents, determine their collaborators and decide the sources and meant makes use of of the recovered firearms.

He mentioned investigations have been additionally ongoing to arrest different members of the suspected felony networks.