The Kano State Police Command has arrested 244 suspects allegedly linked to various criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, drug trafficking, thuggery and vehicle theft.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, disclosed this on Sunday while briefing journalists at the command’s headquarters in Kano.
He said the arrests were made through intelligence-driven operations, round-the-clock patrols, targeted raids and continued collaboration with local communities and other security agencies.
According to him, the suspects comprised eight suspected kidnappers, 28 armed robbers, seven vehicle thieves, 19 drug dealers and 172 suspected thugs, while others were apprehended for different offences.
Bakori said 117 suspected thugs were arrested during coordinated operations carried out at identified criminal hotspots across the Kano metropolis.
He said the operations had helped improve security in areas including Dala, Kofar Nasarawa, Sheka and Hotoro, adding that security agencies were stepping up operations in Bachirawa, Gobirawa and Tudun Fulani to dismantle the remaining thuggery networks.
The police commissioner also disclosed that surveillance had been reinforced along the state’s borders, resulting in the arrest of suspected kidnappers, bandits and gunrunners, alongside the recovery of firearms and ammunition.
Giving details of some of the operations, Bakori said police operatives on August 13 intercepted a suspected member of a gunrunning syndicate at Rijiya Zaiki Motor Park following credible intelligence.
He said a pistol loaded with 48 rounds of live 7.62mm ammunition was recovered from the suspect, while further investigation led to the recovery of two additional pistols.
Bakori said other operations conducted during the month also resulted in the recovery of more firearms and ammunition, as well as six motor vehicles, four tricycles and seven motorcycles allegedly connected to criminal activities.
