The Niger State Police Command says it has, in collaboration with a joint security operative successfully recovered 67 rustled animals from terrorists during a gun duel along Mangoro-Idu village in Munya Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesman of the police, Superintendent Wasi’u Abiodun, in a statement, said the incident occurred on May 14 and due to the intensity of the firepower of the police, the terrorists abandoned the rustled livestock.
A total of 67 animals, comprising 43 cows and 24 sheep, were recovered and later handed over to their rightful owners in collaboration with local authorities.
Similarly, the command revealed that police operatives had arrested four suspected fraudsters linked to a vehicle scam syndicate.
According to the police, operatives attached to Maje Division, Suleja, arrested the suspects along Kaduna Road on May 12 while allegedly attempting to move a suspected stolen Volkswagen Golf vehicle to meet a buyer.
The suspects, identified as Badamasi Saidu, Adamu Musa, Yunusa Mohammed and Mohammed Usman, allegedly removed the vehicle’s number plate to disguise it as a newly acquired car.
Police said investigations revealed that the suspects specialised in framing unsuspecting buyers as receivers of stolen vehicles after pretending to sell such vehicles to them.
According to Abiodun, during interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to intimidating and extorting victims before reclaiming the vehicles.
Further investigation led to the recovery of another Volkswagen vehicle, a POS machine allegedly used for financial transactions, and a fake Police Mess identity card said to belong to one of the suspects.
(Editor: Roluke Ogundele)
