CP Etim: Gombe Police Command Record Harvest Of Arrests
By Ben Ngwakwe Gombe
The Commissioner of Police in Gombe State,CP Oqua Etim, who is the 21st Commissioner of Police in the state since the creation of Gombe State has catalogued his achievements, few months, after his assumption of office in the state.
The CP Etim who recorded tremendous achievements in the few months now in the various arrests of criminals, have expressed appreciations to God for His favour and mercies and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Alkali Baba Usman PSC for finding him worthy to serve as the Commissioner of Police, Gombe State Police Command at this crucial time.
He disclosed this on Friday at his maiden press conference held at the Police Command Headquarters Gombe.
The CP Etim further explained that he received briefings on the current security challenges in the State and the menace of political thuggery by the kalare gang, armed robbery, kidnappings, cattle rustling, famers/herders conflicts, rape and other sundry offences since his assumption into the office.
While acknowledging the immense cooperation of the Gombe State government for their continuous support to the Command in it’s avowed determination to provide safety and security in the State as well as the robust inter-agency collaboration that he had inherited and in keeping with the vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba Alkali PSC, he promised to take drastic measures as the Commissioner in charge of lead security agencies in the state to ensure that these criminals were reduce to minimum and from circulations.
Apart from many various suspects and criminals involved into criminal activities that were apprehended, he assured all the political actors and stakeholders of smooth electoral process with absolute neutrality devoid of rancour and sentiments before, during and after the 2023 general elections.
He said, “We shall therefore Police the state deployment of our security assets toward the prevention of crimes and the successful apprehension of criminals that would test our resolve.”
According to CP, these measures have started yielding positive results as the Police arrested some suspected kidnappers and rescued the victim.
The suspects are Mamman Umar aged 20 years of old Liji in Yamltu/Deba LGA and Abubakar Umar ‘m’ aged 18yrs of Bojude village in Kwami LGA.
On the 10th/11/2022 at about 2015hrs following a complaint of alleged kidnapping of two persons namely Labaran Sabo ‘m’ of aged 50yrs of Lafiya Lamurde LGA of Adamawa State and Bala Yunana ‘m’ aged 33yrs of Biu LGA of Borno State, on 6th November, 2022 at about 2300hrs while on transit at Bojude along Dukku-Gombe road.
Also On receipt of the complaint, the State intelligence Bureau (SIB) immediately swung into action, the operative geolocated and stormed the kidnappers hideout laid ambush and successfully arrested the above mentioned suspects, this happened after a gun duel, while four other suspects escaped into the forest.
Meanwhile, two of the kidnapped victim were rescued unhurt and the investigation is on-going while the case will soon be charged to court.
Another criminal case was Auwal Ahmed ‘m’ Umar Mohammed ‘m’
Dahiru Umar ‘m’ all of Tumfure quarters Gombe in the case of criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.
This event happened on the 29th November 2022 at about 1400hrs when a referred letter for further investigation was received from CMC 9 BCGA at Gona Divisional Police Headquarters Gombe, that sometime in the month of October, 2022, the above named suspects criminally conspired among themselves with unknown persons who claimed to be security personnel (Now at large) and took one Usman Husseini ‘m’ aged 49yrs of New Mile 3 into an uncompleted building in Tumfure quarters and robbed him of cash sum of three hundred and fifty one thousand naira (N351,000).
On receipt of the complaint a team of detectives Attached to the Division swung into action and succeeded in arresting three suspects who have voluntarily confessed to the crime while the Case will soon be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation and effort is top gear to arrest the fleeing suspects as well.
The CP further explained that one Babangida Yayaji alias ‘Dan-Abba’ ‘m’ of Barunde quarters and one other at large, on the 30th, November,2022 at about 0700hrs, arrested one Mubaraq Abubakar ‘m’ of Barunde quarters, Gombe in company of his wife who filed a complaint at Gona Divisional Police Headquarters, that on the 20th, November, 2022 at about 2030hrs some unknown persons armed with cutlasses and knives broke- into his room where he was sitting with his family and threatened to kill them if they refuse to give them money and handsets, where upon they succeeded in taking away his Redmi handset valued seventy thousand naira (N70,000), cash sum of twenty eight thousand naira (N28,000) and forcefully had oral sex with the wife.
On receipt of the complaint, detectives attached to Gona Division swung into action and arrested the above named suspect and recovered the Redmi handset as exhibit. Case will soon be charged to court while effort is on top gear to arrest the other suspect at large.
One Ibrahim Hassan ‘m’ aged of Malam-sidi in Kwami LGA,
On the 29th November, 2022 at about 1930hrs a distress call was received from Malam-inna quarters that hoodlums stormed the residence of one Garba Nuhu, Peter Aron Lashen and Ruth Peter all of the same area.
The hoodlums criminally conspired and robbed the said Ruth Peter Lashen of her Tecno Spark 8 GSM phone valued seventy five thousand naira (N75,000) while Garba Nuhu was cut on his neck.
On receipt of the information DPO Gombe Division CSP Usman Mohammed led a team of patrol to the scene where they succeeded in arresting one Ibrahim Hassan ‘m’ of Malan-sidi in possession of a cutlass and touchlight.
The suspect confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation while effort is on top gear to arrest the fleeing suspects.
Mu’azu Garba ‘m’ aged 25yrs of Tumfure Quarters in Akko LGA,
On the 1/12/2022 at about 2300hrs following a formal complaint by one Esther Haggai ‘f’ of Tumfure quarters in Akko LGA that on the same date while returning from Tumfure market one Mu’azu Garba attacked her with cutlass and snatched her Vivo handset. On receipt of the complaint, Police operatives attached to Tumfure Division swung into action and arrested the above named suspect who confessed to the crime, a cutlass and a Vivo handset were recovered as exhibit while case will soon be charged to court for prosecution.
Nafiu Abdullahi ‘m’ aged 23yrs of Doka village in Zaria LGA of Kaduna State, a notorious kidnaper was arrested Along 5
Yunusa Abdullahi ‘m’ aged 20yrs of Guli village in Dukku LGA Gombe State
On the 29th, November,2022 a formal complaint by one Alhaji Ya’u Adamu ‘m’ of Guli village in Dukku LGA was received that some unknown persons kidnapped his son one Usman Ya’u.
The Officer in Criminal in the State Intelligence Bureau swung into action, geolocated and arrested the above named suspects who criminally conspired among themselves and kidnapped the said Usman Ya’u ‘m’ aged 8yrs of Guli village via Dukku LGA and took him to Galadanchi village in Zaria LGA of Kaduna State and demanded the sum of one million one hundred and fifty thousand naira one million one million one hundred and fifty thousand naira (N1,150,000) as ransom.
The Suspects have confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation and effort is being intensified to rescue the victim.
Also Sunusi Sani ‘m’ aged 18yrs of Hayin Kwarin Misau, on the 30th, November 2022 at about 0800hrs following a formal complaint by one Mohammed Mustapha ‘m’ of Haying-kwarin Misau Gombe that on 29/11/2022 the above named suspect took his daughter one Nuzaihat Mustapha ‘f’ aged 6yrs of the same address to his room and had canal knowledge of her.
On receipt of the complaint, Police operatives from Gona Division moved to the scene of crime and arrested the said suspect, in the course of investigation the suspect confessed to have committed the offence and will soon be charged to court for prosecution.
On the 5th, December,2022 at about 0900hrs, a team of Operation Hattara Gombe State while on routine patrol within the metro succeeded in arresting nineteen suspects at different locations who were terrorising members of the public by parading themselves with dangerous weapons such as cutlasses, daggers and sticks thereby putting fear in the minds of innocent citizens of the state.
All suspects arrested in this regard, will be profiled and those found wanting subsequently will be charged to court for prosecution.
One stick, one knife, one sharp iron, five cuttlasses, one torchlight were recovered as exhibits.
Furthermore, CO said his not unmindful of other challenges bordering on professional misconduct on the part of the officers and men such as extortion, unlawful detention and incivility to members of the Public among others, he urged all personnel of the Command to eschew corruption and indiscipline or face the law if caught.
He added that the Command will sustain the existing inter-agency collaboration and improve on the respect for the Rule of Law and Fundamental Human Rights in accordance with international best practices.
Etim assured the public that the Command under his watch will work assiduously to continue to make the State one of the safest in the country and further emphasised that, the safety and security of lives and property in the State will not be possible without the cooperation of well meaning members of the public and religious/community leaders.
“Your trust in the ability of the Police and other security agencies will continue to enhance safe and secure environment for all residents in the State.”
