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The Nigeria Police on Friday paraded 16 suspects over ritual killings, gun running and other criminal activities in and around Ankpa, Ugwolawo, and Ejule communities of Kogi State.
Parading the suspects before newsmen the Force Public Relations Officer FPRO Ag. DCP Jimoh Moshood said that the suspects were arrested by the Police crack team led by DCP Yusuf Kolo for allegedly being responsible for killings of many innocent people in Kogi and the removal of their private parts for ritual purposes.
The Police Spokesman also said that the suspects were responsible for the killing of a Police Inspector Abdul Alfa at Ejule Police outpost in Ofu local council of the state while on foot patrol on 28th November 2017.
He identified the suspects as Abdukahi Ibrahim Ali 35, Alhaji Shaibu Adamu 39, Yakubu Hamidu 39 (Gang Leader), Ubile Attah 21, Julius Alhassan 30, Shehu Haliru, Abdullahi Tijanii 27, Akwu Audu 21, Alhaji Abulahi Zakari 35, Sale Adama 45, Musa Abdulahi 32, Yakubu Yahaya 30, Adama Shagari, Baba Isah 23, Isaac Alfa 19 and Idoko Benjamin 20.
On how the suspects were arrested, he said that the Police received complaints of missing persons at Police stations in Ankpa and its environment and then swung into action leading to the arrests.
According to him, the Inspector-General of Police IGP Ibrahim Idris concerned with the development directed men of the IGP strike force attached with the Operation Absolute Sanity to investigate all the cases, arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
He added that from investigations it was discovered that the gang was responsible for kidnappings, gruesome murder and ritual killings of Innocent people in Kogi State especially travellers and strangers coming into the town.
The Police boss said that the Gang Leader Yakubu Hamidu and his members now in Police custody had confessed to the crime and admitted that they were sponsored and working for one Abdulahi Ibrahim Ali (aka Halims) and Alhaji Shaibu Adamu (aka Aye-Maria) who they handed over the body parts of their victims having collected huge sums of money running into hundreds of thousands of Naira.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects include: One Pump Action Rifle, two locally fabricated single barrel guns and three short axes that were used in killing their victims.
However, whereas Yakubu the Gang Leader admitted that he committed the crime of manslaughter and delivered the private parts, the principal suspect Abdulahi Ibrahim said that he knows nothing about the crime incidents.
He said it is a smear campaign to repudiate his image as a former member of Kogi State House of Assembly between 2006-2011 who wants to represent his constituency at the National Assembly in the 2019 general elections.
The Police spokesman however said that all the suspects had made useful and voluntary statements to them on the matter which is still under investigation.
He added that efforts are being intensified to arrest the other suspects which include prominent personalities. He added that they would be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.