Troops of the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have dislodged a kidnapping syndicate that has been terrorising parts of Jalingo and Lau Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state and arrested two suspects.
The spoke person of the Brigade, Captain Oni Olubodunde, gave the names of the arrested suspects as Ali Idi and Haruna Umar.
He said the suspects were apprehended on October 22, 2024 during a raid at a local hotel in the Mayo Dassa area of the Jalingo metropolis where they were hiding.
According to him, a search on the mobile phones of the suspects revealed incriminating evidence, including a photograph showing Haruna, one of the suspects, brandishing an AK-47 rifle alongside another individual at an unidentified location.
He said further investigations led to the discovery of the hide out of the suspects at Kona Mountain in Jalingo LGA, where additional members of the syndicate were believed to be camped.
He said the arrest followed an intelligence report to the troops for which a follow-up operation was conducted at Kona Mountain on 23, October 2024, and during the exercise, the leader of the gang, Dahiru Idi, AKA (Yellow), was apprehended.
Captain Oni said on interrogation, the gang leader confessed to the recent kidnapping of three individuals, from whom a ransom of N6 million was paid before their release.
The gang leader further disclosed that the two AK-47 rifles used in their operations had been taken to another location by one Yakubu Dogo in preparation for an upcoming operation.
He listed items recovered from the suspects to include three rings, one Airtel SIM card, one ITEL phone, Indian hemp; and charms.
