Kaduna State police command on Wednesday said it has arrested and paraded 986 people for violating the lockdown order imposed by the state government with a view to curbing the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Musa Muri made the disclosure while briefing newsmen at the police headquarters in Kaduna Wednesday.
He said, “the Kaduna Police Command in its bid to enforce the lockdown and social distancing orders imposed by the State Government, which took effect from 26th March, 2020 to date, with a view to curbing the spread of COVID 19 pandemic in the state and environs, has arrested nine hundred and eighty-six (986) violators across the state amongst which forty eight(48) suspects who are mostly religious leaders and beer parlour operators.”
According to CP Muri, the suspects have been charged to court for prosecution while the remaining suspects will be arraigned in court accordingly.
Furthermore, the command in collaboration with the force headquarters Abuja had on 5th February 2020 launched a well-coordinated operation code-named “Taking the battle to the bandits camps” where several identified notorious bandits camps within Birnin Gwari and Giwa axis were successfully destroyed.
However, the gallant determination of our personnel has yielded some successes with apprehension of ninety-one (91) suspects for various crimes which includes banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, culpable homicide, rape, shop breaking, theft and other mundane crimes. He said.
Recoveries made during investigation include fifteen AK47 rifles, ten English made pistols, ten locally made guns, one pump action rifle, one locally-made revolver pistol, one G3 gun, one thousand five hundred and seventy-five live ammunition, twenty eight live cartridges, twenty one rounds of G3 ammunition, twenty motor vehicles of different and models and descriptions, nine motorcycles of different models, three tricycles.
Others include two hundred and forty six cows, sixty sheep, twenty bags of rice, six bags of beans, seventy one pieces of cutlasses/knives/swords/scissors, twelve mobile cellphones, one anti tracking device, ten TV/DVD sets, sixteen laptops/ iPads, fourteen Italian handbags, two iron rods and eight bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
CP Muri said diligent investigation into various allegations is ongoing as some of the suspects have confessed to their crimes and will be prosecuted accordingly.
“The major yardstick to measure a commands achievement is through the number of convictions gained, the Kaduna state command was able to secure 38 convictions on various criminal allegations within the period under review as I ensure that the police do not go to courts for jamboree.”
He, however, enjoined the people of Kaduna to keep supporting the command with prompt and useful information that will aid the relentless battle against criminal elements by reporting any suspicious persons to the nearest police station or via the command’s designated emergency response numbers.
Culled from Nation Newspaper