Police recover guns, stolen vehicles, fake dollars in Kaduna
Kaduna Police Arrest Suspects in Banditry and Theft Operations
The Kaduna State Police Command has apprehended multiple suspects linked to banditry, gunrunning, and vehicle theft during recent operations throughout the state. Authorities recovered firearms, two stolen vehicles, and suspected counterfeit U.S. dollar notes.
Police Public Relations Officer DSP Mansir Hassan released a statement on Thursday detailing the operations, which were conducted based on intelligence received by the command. One significant encounter occurred with suspected bandits in the Kidandan area of Giwa Local Government Area.
Hassan reported that police personnel, alongside members of the Kaduna Vigilance Service, confronted the suspected bandits following complaints that they were harassing local farmers. During the altercation, the suspects fired at the security team but retreated into nearby bushes, leaving behind a pump-action rifle, two cartridges, and a motorcycle.
In a separate operation near the Maraban Jos area, police set up roadblocks after receiving intelligence on the movements of suspected gunrunners. The suspects fled into the wilderness, abandoning nine locally fabricated firearms. Efforts to apprehend them are ongoing.
Additionally, three individuals—identified as Ashiru Ibrahim, Mohammed Ibrahim, and Umar Hassan—were arrested in Panteka, Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna, while allegedly attempting to sell a stolen black GMK Jeep. The vehicle, valued at approximately N70 million, was reportedly being offered for N4 million after being prepared for dismantling and resale as spare parts. Police investigations indicate that Ashiru claimed to have stolen the vehicle from Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he was employed as a driver for a Chinese company.
Authorities also recovered a white Toyota Hilux that had been reported stolen from Agadez, Niger Republic. One Abubakar Abdullahi was arrested in connection with this vehicle, which was confirmed to match the stolen vehicle’s chassis number.
In a related incident, police apprehended Kabir Yusuf from Barnawa, Kaduna, on charges of possessing counterfeit currency. A search yielded 332 suspected counterfeit $100 bills, valued at $33,200, as well as six counterfeit N1,000 notes. Investigators report that Yusuf alleged he obtained the counterfeit bills from one Sahibu Ruhan of Kano State, who remains at large. Police are pursuing Ruhan and investigating further connections to the counterfeit network.
