The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested six individuals suspected to be members of terror gangs operating in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, and Mutum Biyu in Gassol Local Government Area of the state.
The state Commandant of the Corps, Adamu Salihu, who paraded the suspects at the Command headquarters in Jalingo, said that the arrests came after a long period of intense investigation and diligent intelligence gathering.
He urged the public to stay woke and always report suspicious actions or persons to men of the Corps for quick response as the criminals are often among the public and are known for who they are.
“Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Taraba State Command has paraded Six suspects in connection to robberies and theft in Jalingo the state capital and Mutum Biyu the headquarters of Gassol Local Government Area of the state. The suspects are all young males between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26) who operated in clusters to evade arrest.
“The arrest of the suspects came as a result of a diligent investigation carried out by our men in Jalingo Division after receiving a complaint from one of the victims of the crime. Three of the suspects namely Solomon Ezekiel Dio (26), Umar Mohammed Sani (21), and Emmanuel Sale (26) operates a robbery gang that terrorised the people of the NTA area of Jalingo. Personnel of the NSCDC who were acting on a tip-off rounded the suspects after their last operation in the area during the Christmas period. Among the items recovered from them are twelve (12) smartphones, one (1) Laptop, and weapons used in the perpetration of the crime.
“This other suspect Abubakar Sani aged 20 was arrested for stealing from some foreign Islamic Scholars who came to Jalingo for a religious retreat from Bangladesh. Handset and some personal belongings of the Bangladeshi scholars were recovered from him, while the last two suspects, Mustapha Mohammed (18) and Shedrack Haruna (23) were arrested for housebreaking and theft. The duo are part of a syndicate operating in Mutum Biyu the headquarters of Gassol Local Government. During the investigation, the suspects confessed to being part of over four theft cases in just one house.
“They have confessed that among them they have members whose duty is to bring the stolen property to Jalingo for onward disposal. It was in the process of selling these stolen items that they were arrested by operatives of the NSCDC. Two LG LED television sets, two Nokia batteries, half a bag of Soya beans, a power bank, a Startimes Decoder, and two bags of detergent were recovered from their hideout.
“Let me also use this opportunity to call on the general public to report any suspicious persons or activity around them to the nearest security agency as this is the only way to keep the state safe from criminals. Let me also advise our young people to shun the life of criminality and embrace legal means of making ends meet as the end is always disastrous for criminals,” he said.