Kogi state police command has paraded another set of 20 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers said to have been terrorising people of the state in recent times.
The arrest is coming one week after the command arrested over 30 suspected hoodlums over their alleged involvement in armed robbery, culpable homicide, and illegal possession of fire arms.
Parading the suspects in Lokoja, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Mr Ibrahim Sabo Umar, said the arrests were made in the last one week across different parts of the state.
He attributed the success to the “high level commitment, dedication and hardwork on the part of officers as well as proactive strategies rooted in intelligence policing”.
He said that on May 22, operatives from SARS Unit, acting on a tip-off arrested a five-man kidnap gang that have been terrorising members of the public along the Okene-Auchi and Lokoja-Osara-Okene roads.
Those arrested according to him include Shehu Sule, Idris Abubakar, Mohammed Danguloba, Mosume Bangogo, Setto Aliyu and Baumo Moudu.
Umar said that on May 27, another suspected gang of armed robbers and kidnappers comprising Olobo Abdul, Solomon Danjuma, Nasiru Aliu Ade and Adeh Sheidu were also arrested by SARS operatives and various weapons recovered from them.
Amongst the exhibits recovered from the suspects include one AK47 rifle, one single barrel gun, locally made pistols, live and expended ammunition, two motorcycles, one plasma television, DVD player, cutlasses, charms, knives, handsets and sim cards.
He said the sim cards recovered were those being used by the suspected kidnappers to reach family of victims to demand for ransoms.
According to him, forensic analysis would be done on the sim cards with a view to arresting other members of the criminal elements.
He said that the suspects will soon be charged to court as soon as ongoing investigations were concluded.
