Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Nigeria Police Force has stated that operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) dismantled a terrorist logistics community and arrested no fewer than eight suspected terrorists, bandits and different felony components throughout intelligence-led operations at totally different places throughout the nation.
Speaking throughout a press briefing and the parade of arrested suspects on the IRT headquarters in Abuja on Friday, the Commander of the Force Intelligence Department, Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), DCP Adamu Muazu, stated the operations had been a part of the staff’s intelligence-led actions geared toward figuring out, disrupting and dismantling felony networks concerned in kidnapping, banditry, armed theft, terrorism-related actions and different violent crimes throughout the nation.
He revealed that the operations had yielded vital outcomes, together with the arrest of suspected felony components and the restoration of unlawful firearms.
According to him, “On 29/08/2026, in a major intelligence-led operation, operatives of the Intelligence Response Team efficiently apprehended two suspects, particularly Nura Umar, ‘M’, 20, of Kidandan, and Alh. Rabiu Aliyu, ‘M’, 58, of Zaria, Kaduna State, who had been concerned in kidnapping and banditry-related actions, with hyperlinks to suspected terrorism-financing operations. They specialize in supplying bikes to bandits and confessed to having equipped a number of bikes to bandits working alongside the Kaduna and Katsina axis. One Honda CV-125 bike with out a registration quantity was recovered as an exhibit.
“The arrest represents an necessary step within the ongoing efforts of the Nigeria Police Force to determine and dismantle the monetary networks that maintain kidnapping, banditry and different types of terrorism-related criminality.
“The suspects are at present present process additional interrogation to determine the complete extent of their involvement, determine attainable accomplices and hint the monetary channels via which felony actions could have been funded.
“The IRT remains committed to ensuring that not only the perpetrators of violent crimes but also those who provide financial and logistical support to such criminal networks are brought to justice.”
DCP Muazu stated six different suspects had been arrested in separate operations.
He stated, “In one other profitable operation, operatives of the Intelligence Response Team, appearing on credible human and technical intelligence on the actions of a gang concerned in one-chance operations, automobile snatching and armed theft in Kaduna and its environs, arrested Abdullahi Abubakar, ‘M’, on 12 October 2026 at about 20:30 hours.
“The gang allegedly specialised in strangling tricycle and bike operators earlier than dispossessing them of their valuables. Abdullahi, who had beforehand served a 13-year jail sentence for the same offence, was arrested throughout the operation.
“During interrogation, the suspect talked about one in every of his gang leaders, recognized as Boniface, who’s at present in Kaduna Prison. Boniface reportedly directed Abdullahi to their hideout, the place their operational firearms had been hid. The operatives subsequently obtained a replica warrant and recovered two pistols as displays.
“The suspects also confessed to snatching several vehicles in Kaduna and its environs and selling them to their receivers in Kano, Kaduna and the Niger Republic. Yusuf Mohammed and Bala Ibrahim, both male residents of Kaduna, were arrested as receivers. Yusuf Mohammed allegedly received stolen vehicles and arranged their delivery to the Niger Republic through Sokoto, with the assistance of one Dahiru, who is still at large. Bala Ibrahim, on the other hand, received stolen motorcycles and tricycles.”
He stated the restoration of the firearms was a major achievement within the ongoing efforts to stop the usage of unlawful weapons within the fee of violent crimes, notably armed theft and different offences that threaten public security.
