The Department of State Services (DSS) revealed yesterday it had smashed several kidnap gangs and terrorist elements in recent operations across the country.
A statement issued by DSS spokesman, Tony Opuiyo, said on August 22, one Samuel Asuquo, a kidnap kingpin, was arrested at Nasarawa Bakoko village in Cross River State.
He said Asuquo was the mastermind of the kidnap of three Australian staff of Lafarge Cement Company, for which his gang received a ransom of N150million. He added that on August 30, Bamaiyi Mustapha, Aminu Isa and Hassan Shehu, members of a kidnap gang operating around the Abuja-Kaduna axis, were arrested in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Opuiyo said the gang had earlier kidnapped five Igbo women and collected N13million as ransom, noting that they were arrested while planning a high profile kidnap in Abuja.
Opuiyo said the service also carried out another operation at Tamburawa village along Kano-Zaria Expressway, Kano State, where Alhassan Musa and Ado Yusuf, members of a kidnap/armed robbery syndicate operating from Falgore forest in Doguwa LGA, Kano State, were apprehended.
He also said in response to the regrouping of Boko Haram elements in Kano State, the service in concert with the military, apprehended two high profile members of the sect: Ibrahim Ustaz Abubakar and Idris Audu. He said Audu is an IED specialist, who “had already perfected plans to seek recruitment into the Nigerian Army before his arrest.”
He also said on August 26, two kidnappers, armed robbers and assassins – Moses Achia and Fanen Igbetar were arrested at Kperlegba Village in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State. He said one AK-47 rifle, five fully loaded AK-47 magazines, 150 rounds of live ammunition and one pistol loaded with 15 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from them.
He said on September 3, a kidnap gang terrorizing states in the South-east was busted by the service at Aba in Abia State. The gang masterminded kidnapping incidents, including the abduction of Uche Ikonne, an American citizen.
He also said the service had arrested one Abbas Mohammed at Asokoro, Abuja, after sending several threat messages to the Ukranian Ambassador to Nigeria. Opuiyo further said one Izuagie Mohammed was arrested in Benin City, Edo State on 24th August, 2016, for impersonating the Accountant General of the Federation.
He said Mohammed had already defrauded members of the public posing as the Nigerian AGF on Facebook and promising them Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) empowerment loans.
He said on August 28,Taiye Alade and Ajoke Kolawole were also arrested at Fabian Hotel, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. The duo allegedly cloned the GSM number of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, and were using it to defraud his associates.
Opuiyo said one Mike Ewugbara, an alleged child trafficker, was arrested at Okigwe, Imo State on August 26, adding that three kidnapped children were rescued from his hideout, including one Miracle who was abducted in Benue State.
