Molly Kilete, Abuja

 

The police force headquarters has paraded 93suspected kidnappers terrorising the Abuja-Kaduna express road.

The suspects were arrested at different town and communities namely Kachia, Lere, Igabi, Kagarko, Birnin GwariZaria, Minna and other villages in the area.

They were arrested by men of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Special Task Force (STF), and operatives of Operation Puff Adder, set up to smash kidnapping and other violent crimes along the Abuja-Kaduna road.

Items recovered from the suspects include rocket launchers, 35 AK-47, riffles, cutlasses, 500, live ammunition military camouflage uniforms, daggers, fake $60,000, notes, 12, locally-made guns, 21, Dane guns, foreign revolvers and pistols, two operational vehicles among other weapons.

The suspects were paraded at the Katari police divisional headquarters along the Abuja-Kaduna road by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba.

One of the kidnappers, Alhaji Isah, who happens to be the spiritual father of the group, said he does not give them charm but prays for them to have a successful operation.

Isah, who said he is also a farmer, said he sometimes gets between N20,000, to N30,000, depending on the outcome of the operation.

He also said that he knows the group is into armed robbery/kidnapping and has been with them for about two years now.

Another suspect, Ibrahim Mohamed, who said he has been in the kidnapping business for about one year now, noted that he had carried out three successive kidnap operations where he made N1million, N750,000 and N400,000 respectively.

The operation which was carried out along the Abuja-Kaduna road according to him saw him going home with about N300,000.

On what he does with his money, he said he spends it on luxury and providing food for his wives and five children.

Another suspect Ayuba, a gun runner and major arms supplier to the kidnappers said he gets his weapons from a local manufacturer in Jos, Plateau State.

The 34, year old suspect, who said he sells the locally-made guns for between N180,000- N200,000, also said he sometimes gives out the guns on hire and charges about N20,000, per weapon.