Two suspected notorious criminals linked to kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling and other organised crimes have been arrested in a major operation by operatives of the Yobe State Police Command.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the statement, on July 15, 2026, operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), acting on credible intelligence, arrested Kollo Kashim, 19, of Sabon Garin Guba, Bursari Local Government Area.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, alongside Modu Bayama and Ba’ani Mallah, who are currently at large, conspired to terrorise herders by disguising themselves as Boko Haram terrorists.
“The suspects reportedly armed themselves with a wooden makeshift gun, carried a paper bearing Arabic inscriptions, and demanded illegal levies from herders while pretending to be insurgents.
“The suspects extorted a total sum of two hundred and fifty-three thousand naira (N253,000) from four different victims”, the statement added.
During the operation, a wooden makeshift gun, a paper containing Arabic inscriptions, and the sum of N36,000, believed to be part of the proceeds of the crime, were recovered from the suspect.
“Investigation is ongoing to apprehend the fleeing accomplices and recover additional exhibits”, the command said.
In a separate operation, operatives of the VCRU arrested Hussaini Umar, 22, of Kahere, Kumo Local Government Area of Gombe State, in possession of a fabricated revolver.
During interrogation, the command said the suspect confessed to involvement in a series of kidnapping and cattle rustling activities carried out by a large criminal syndicate operating within Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The command disclosed that the suspect has been handed over to the Plateau State Police Command for further investigation, prosecution and coordinated efforts aimed at apprehending other members of the criminal network.
Police arrest two suspected kidnappers, cattle rustlers in Yobe
