Zamfara State police command has arrested 13 persons who specialised in raping women as well as snatching cars and motorcycles.
Briefing newsmen in his office on Wednesday, the state’s Police Commissioner, Usman Nagogo said, the suspects were arrested at different locations in the state by operatives attached to the Operation Puff Adder unit.
According to the commissioner, the syndicate liked to rob victims of their vehicles in their houses at gunpoint and also rape their family members in their presence.
Nagogo explained 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.
He added that four vehicles snatched and sold in the Niger Republic have so far been recovered by the police.
The other eight suspects who include Mubarak Abdullahi, Sanusi Mohammed, Ahmed Bello, Usman Idris, Miss Abdullahi, Labaran Lauwali, Yasha’u Mamman and Lauwali Lalan were experts in motorcycles snatching, said the Commissioner.
Nagogo said that the police have recovered 26 motorcycles allegedly stolen and sold at different locations in the state.
He said, “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.”
Their recent attack according to the commissioner was at the house of a coordinator, 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 maintained 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.
The commissioner 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.