(The arrested suspect. Photo credit: Punch News)
The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested three suspected criminals, including two alleged members of the notorious Shilla gang, in separate operations targeting violent crime in Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas.
The command disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday by its Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Yahaya, describing the arrests as another breakthrough in its sustained fight against Shilla gangsterism and other violent crimes within the two LGAs.
According to the statement, one of the suspects, 22-year-old Abdulmalik Mohammed of the Zango area, was arrested on June 12 after allegedly att@cking a passenger aboard a commercial tricycle along the Doubeli Bye-Pass.
Police said the suspect, armed with a cutlass, allegedly att@cked the victim and dispossessed him of his mobile phone.
Members of the public reportedly apprehended him after the victim raised the alarm, and attempted mob action was averted after operatives attached to the Doubeli Divisional Police Headquarters intervened and took him into custody.
Preliminary investigations, according to the command, linked the suspect to a series of theft cases within the Yola metropolis, including the theft of a sewing machine at Tsohon Kasuwa, with efforts ongoing to identify and arrest other persons connected to the alleged crimes.
In a separate operation on June 14, police operatives on confidence-building patrol arrested two suspected Shilla gang members identified as Abba Abdullahi, 17, and Abdulrahman Saidu, 16.
The suspects were allegedly found in possession of dangerous knives suspected to have been intended for use in committing criminal acts at a birthday party.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Kabir Umar Hassan, commended the operatives for their proactive response and professionalism in carrying out the operations, reaffirming the command’s commitment to dismantling Shilla gangs and other criminal groups threatening the peace and security of residents.
The command urged residents to continue supporting law enforcement with timely and credible information, assuring that all reports would be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
