The nation’s Police operatives, on Saturday, revealed that “notorious” kidnappers and their camps have been neutralised and destroyed in Abuja.
Force Spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed that the elimination took place on Friday.
“In the early hours of February 9, 2024, around 2.40 am, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Bureau – Intelligence Response Team (FIB-IRT), acting on intelligence, successfully attacked, neutralized and eliminated many notorious kidnappers including the kidnapping kingpin identified as Musa Wada (Sabo) Magaji, in an operation conducted around Mpape, Abuja.
“The team also destroyed the camps of the dreaded kidnappers who have been thorns in the flesh of Abuja residents in recent times,” a statement from Adejobi read.
According to him, the Police operatives engaged the criminals in a 30-minute gun battle, with several of the kidnappers “fatally injured, while one of the police operatives sustained bullet wounds.”
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He said the development comes just on the heels of the “neutralization of Abubakar Wada, an associate of Musa Wada, on February 8, 2024, who served as a lead to their hideout.
“Musa Wada, aka Sabo, was the mastermind behind numerous kidnappings for ransom activities plaguing areas including Mpape and Bwari in the FCT; Kagarko in Kaduna; Masaka, and Nukun Village in Nasarawa State. His modus operandi involved identifying wealthy targets and mobilizing armed gangs to carry out abductions for ransom.”
Noting that the recent operation was carried out by the FIB-IRT “through a surprise assault,” he said, items recovered from the hideout include mobile phones, multiple SIM cards, charms, and hard drugs”.
“Efforts are on to recover additional arms and ammunition and other equipment they use for their nefarious operations,” the police added, reiterating its commitment to bringing perpetrators of “heinous crimes to justice, against all odds.”
