The Police in Niger State have arrested one Abubakar Mohammed after he attempted to steal a Honda Civic vehicle with Reg No KAG 371 AA out of Kure Market car park.
Traders in the market were about to lynch Mohammed, the 40 year old suspect of Tudun-Fulani, Bosso LGA, while he was trying to drive the Honda Civic when police arrived the scene and rescued him from the mob.
The spokesman of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this known in a statement on Friday in which he said the incident occured on the 21st of December 2023.
“Based on a distress call received, Police operatives attached to GRA Div arrested one Abubakar Mohammed 40yrs of Tudun-Fulani, Bosso while trying to drive a Honda Civic vehicle with Reg No KAG 371 AA out of Kure Market from the market car park, which attracted mob action,” Abiodun said.
The spokesman said the suspect was rescued from the mob and arrested, and during interrogation, confessed to have removed the vehicle from the car park with a fabricated key, and that he planned to take the vehicle to his usual receiver, one Bashir Moh’d of Mando area in Kaduna State. He further confessed to have stolen one red Honda Civic (Joker) vehicle from the same market around March 2023.
“He said that he sold the vehicle to the same Bashir in Kaduna at the rate of N200,000 which he used for shoe business at Kasuwa-Wanbai in Kano State.
“He claimed that he needed more money for farming and to build a personal house in Wushishi, in order to prepare himself for marriage, as he does not have a wife presently, hence, his reasons for his second action,” Abiodun stated.
Abiodun disclosed that the case is under investigation at SCID Minna, with an effort to proceed to Kaduna State for possible arrest of the said Bashir Moh’d.
In another development, the crack squad of the Command nabbed three motorcycle snatchers and recovered four motorcycles.
The suspects include Dan Asabe 50yrs of Banwuya area, Bida, Mohammed Adamu 20yrs of Etsu Audu, Lemu and Tanko Yusuf 40yrs of Bida road, Gidan-Mai, Bida.
The incident occured on 4th December 2023 at the Garatu area of Bosso LGA. The Police spokesman who revealed the arrest said, “Based on credible information received that Mohammed Adamu was sighted in Garatu area of Bosso LGA, roaming around suspiciously. The Crack Squad moved to the area and arrested the said suspect.
” In the course of interrogation, he confessed that he trailed a motorcyclist to Garatu, which he intended to attack in order to snatch the motorcycle. He confessed further that he had been snatching motorcycles with one Basulube, who is currently at large and that they usually sell such motorcycles to Dan Asabe (a.k.a Gindo)
“Adamu led the Police operatives to the residence of Gindo in Bida, where he was arrested and Tanko Yusuf was also arrested in Bida. The said Gindo was discovered to be an ex-convict, as he narrated that he had participated in a series of robbery of motorcyclists and other crimes for more than six years, before being arrested, prosecuted and convicted in Bida,” he said.
Abiodun said Gindo returned from a three-year Jail term in March this year, and further engaged himself in receiving stolen motorcycles from Basulube and Adamu.
“He confessed that he bought some motorcycles from them at the rate of fifty/sixty thousand naira and sold it with an addition of ten thousand naira to one Abubakar Lafiagi of Katcha, who is at large. However, four boxer motorcycles were recovered from Gindo’s possession.
“Yusuf Tanko confessed to three culpable homicide of motorcyclists, where two victims were killed around Agaie and their motorcycles were sold to Gindo, and one other victim was attacked and amputated at Zuzungi road in Kataeregi, while his motorcycle was taken to Paiko, within a period of about four months ago.
“Other receivers mentioned are Yahaya in Kaduna and one Bashir at Paiko. It was also discovered that the syndicate usually attacked their victims with hammers and cutlasses to kill in order to take their motorcycles away.
The police spokesman said, in the course of investigation, the suspects revealed that dead victims’ motorcycles are mostly expensive, because it is usually sold with keys and it is believed that nobody would lay claim to it, while that of injured victims are less expensive,” Abiodun said.
Abiding noted that the suspects were under investigation and efforts were ongoing to apprehend Basulube, Yahaya and Bashir.
