The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, Usaini Gumel, said the command under his watch arrested and prosecuted over 3,000 suspects for various offences in the last one year.

Mr Gumel said those arrested included suspected kidnappers, banditry, armed robbers, human traffickers, illicit drug dealers and thugs.

He listed the achievements during an interactive session with journalists on Thursday in Kano as part of activities marking his one year in office.

Within the period, he said, the command also received and profiled a total of 623 repentant thugs, who are currently engaged by the state government in various life-changing empowerment programmes.

According to the commissioner, the command, also in the last one year, flushed out suspected criminals who occupied the historic Dala Hill and used it as a hideout from where they launched mayhem and various criminal activities.

By so doing, he said, the suspected not only attempted to destroy a major symbol of Kano’s history, Dala Hill, but almost destroyed a world-class tourist attraction.

“Thus far, the intervention of the police command has made the historic site safe and secure for all residents of the area, visitors, and the people of Kano State,” he said.

Under the Inspector-General of Police’s Safe Schools Initiative aimed at improving the security of lives and property, especially the safety of schools and students, Mr Gumel said, the command launched the School Protection Squad.

He said it was meant to provide adequate security to schools across the state, especially those along borders with other states.

“The SPS, comprised 60 personnel, was provided with the tools for the task and dispatched to intensify and establish robust patrols around all primary and secondary schools, and tertiary institutions across each senatorial district,” he said.

“I must confess that it has been a privileged opportunity given to me by the Inspector-General of Police, through which I am serving the community with enormous cooperation from the good people of the state. As the 45th commissioner of police in the command, communities in the state have had their fair share of security challenges,’’ he said.

According to him, this is especially the menace of daylight and nighttime mobile phone armed robbery, thuggery farmers and herders clashes, and other violent criminal activities.

He stated, “Other heinous crimes include kidnapping, the threat of infiltration of bandits along border LGAs, especially Falgore and Danshoshiya forests. There was also buying and selling of minors, motor vehicle theft, cross-border organised crimes, and illicit drug dealings, among others. Through collective efforts, we succeeded in fighting and bringing down the wave of crime and criminality in the state.’’

A breakdown of the activities showed the arrest of 337 armed robbery suspects,66 suspected kidnappers, 90 suspected drug dealers, 83 motor vehicle thieves, 62 tricycle thieves, 86 motorcycle thieves and 200 suspected petty thieves.

Also arrested were 61 suspected fraudsters, nine suspected illegal forex hawkers and 2101 suspected thugs.

Those rescued were 29 kidnap victims and 65 trafficking victims, while recovered items were 6 AK-47 rifles, one SMG rifle, three berretta pistol, one anti-riot gunner, and eight double-barrel guns, two makarov pistol and five English pistol as well as 54 locally made guns.

Also recovered were 44 dane guns and14 toy guns,83 live ammunition and 30 cartridges, 215 motor vehicles,84 tricycles and 116 motorcycles; 3,079 mobile phones, 990 cartons of fake and expired drugs among others.

( NAN)