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Kaduna Attacks: Police Deploy 500 Operatives, Arrest 217 Suspected Bandits And Kidnappers

The Police in Kaduna State have arrested 217 suspected bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements that have been terrorising people in various parts of the state.


A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria's North-Central region.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s North-West geopolitical zone.

A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria's North-Central region.

 

The Police in Kaduna State have arrested 217 suspected bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements that have been terrorising people in various parts of the state.

The command also says that despite the recent attacks by gunmen in Kaura and Zango Kataf Local Government Areas of Kaduna, the security situation in the state has been relatively stabilised.

The State Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri, who stated this when he paraded the suspects before journalists at the state command headquarters on Wednesday, also disclosed that no fewer than 500 conventional and Mobile policemen have been deployed to Zango Kataf and Kaura Local Government Areas to tighten security in the areas and prevent any further attacks.

He also said that 43 Ak-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons were recovered from the suspects, in addition to the recovery of stolen vehicles, motorcycles, and fake currencies.

Read Also: Southern Kaduna Killings More Complicated Than Many Are Ready To Admit – Presidency

On Tuesday, the presidency reacted to the killings in the state, saying that it is more complicated than many people are willing to admit.

In a statement, the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu, noted that the problem in southern Kaduna is an evil combination of politically-motivated banditry, revenge killings and mutual violence by criminal gangs acting on ethnic and religious grounds.

He added that the region enjoys comprehensive security deployments, including the army, special forces of both the army and the Air Force, surveillance aircraft by the Air Force and mobile police units that are on the ground on a 24-hour basis to forestall criminality and keep the peace.

“Unlike other parts of the country, the problem of Southern Kaduna is more complicated than many critics are ready to acknowledge and understand.

Read Also: 11 Persons Killed in Another Kaduna Attack

“From available security records, the problem in Southern Kaduna is an evil combination of politically-motivated banditry, revenge killings and mutual violence by criminal gangs acting on ethnic and religious grounds.

“It is a situation in which one criminal group will kill a member of another criminal group out of ethnic and religious motivations which in turn leads to the eruption of revenge and counter-revenge, thereby making the job of the security personnel deployed to protect lives more difficult,” the statement read in part.

The presidency, therefore, warned residents against taking laws into their own hands, adding that it makes the job of security personnel more difficult.

At least 11 people were reported killed by gunmen in an attack in Gora Gan Village of Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Monday evening

The attack came barely 24 hours after 21 people were killed by bandits at Kukum Daji village in neighbouring Kaura Local Government Area.