By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested two suspected motorcycle suppliers accused of providing logistics support to bandits operating in Kaduna and Katsina states.
The Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) also arrested six other suspects linked to kidnapping, armed robbery, car snatching and receiving stolen vehicles in separate operations across Kaduna and Plateau states.
The IRT Commander, DCP Adamu Muazu, disclosed this during a briefing in Abuja on Friday, adding that the operations led to the recovery of five firearms, a motorcycle and a stolen Toyota Corolla.
Muazu said Nura Umar, 20, and Rabiu Aliyu, 58, were arrested on August 29, 2026, following intelligence linking them to motorcycle supplies to bandits. The police said they confessed to supplying several motorcycles to criminal groups in the two states.
In Kaduna, operatives also arrested Abdullahi Abubakar, Yusuf Mohammed and Bala Ibrahim over alleged involvement in one-chance operations, car snatching and armed robbery.
The police said Abubakar, who was arrested on October 12, identified a suspected gang leader, Boniface, currently in Kaduna Prison. His information led operatives to a hideout where they recovered two pistols.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Mohammed and Ibrahim, who were allegedly involved in receiving stolen vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles.
The police also linked Mohammed to the movement of stolen vehicles to the Niger Republic through Sokoto State.
In Jos, Plateau State, the IRT arrested Benjamin Okafor, 38, Moses Akintuwi, 41, and Emmanuel Maikarfi on November 2 over alleged armed robbery and kidnapping.
The police said they recovered three locally fabricated pistols, one cartridge and an unregistered 2015 Toyota Corolla from the suspects.
According to the police, the suspects allegedly robbed a victim of N200,000, a laptop, three mobile phones and three ATM cards before using the cards to withdraw another N800,000 from the victim’s bank accounts.
The Force Intelligence Department said investigations were ongoing to identify other accomplices and establish their possible involvement in other criminal activities.
It urged members of the public to provide credible information to support security operations.
