Police arrest 11 suspected robbers and rescue kidnap victim in Nasarawa

Nasarawa police rescued a kidnapped woman and arrested 11 suspected armed robbers in separate operations across the Nigerian state.

Police said Favour Innocent was abducted from her home in Ajyga Village at about 9 p.m. on Thursday. Officers, local hunters and community youths found her around 8 a.m. the next day in Nunku Forest, in Akwanga Local Government Area. She received treatment at the Primary Health Centre in Andaha before being discharged and reunited with her family.

The arrests followed a report that armed robbers had entered a guest house in Area One, Masaka, and taken mobile phones, cash and other valuables from guests. A patrol team sent to the scene forced the suspects to flee, then pursued them to a hideout where officers arrested nine adults and two minors.

Police identified the adults as Auwal Yunusa, Saltsu Kabiru, Umar Saleh, Abubakar Hassan, Musa Yahaya, Seth Aaron, Victor Hyelanpali, Gift Ezra and Suleiman Abdullahi. The minors were identified as James Ayuba, 16, and Fahad Abubakar, 15.

Recovered items included a locally made revolver, four machetes, another fabricated machete, two knives, eight SIM cards, scissors, bedsheets, counterfeit foreign currency and original documents belonging to Kabiru Abubakar. The police ordered the adult suspects’ transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia. Authorities also directed the Masaka divisional police officer to trace the minors’ parents or bring them before the appropriate juvenile court, while efforts continue to arrest other suspects and recover stolen property.