The police in Kaduna say they have arrested 200 suspected bandits and 20 armed robbery suspects between January and March.

The command’s Spokesman Mohammed Jalige,announced this during a news briefing at the Command’s Headquarters on Wednesday in Kaduna.

Mr Jalige also disclosed that the Command recovered 18 AK47 Rifles, 2,000 Live Ammunitions of different Caliber, 11 Pump Action Guns, 10 Locally Fabricated Pistols, 140 Shotguns, 12-Gauge Cartridges, seven Motor Vehicles of different brands and nine motorcycles.

“It is pertinent that we often have an interface with you to showcase our achievements in the fight against armed banditry, kidnapping and other sundry crimes to the public.

“These accomplishments are not without the assurances of your unalloyed support and commitment towards discharging our statutory responsibility.

“Thus, we seek a robust Police Public Partnership in the continuous fight against criminal elements, as the quest of securing the society is everybody’s business.

“The command, during the period under review, is not unmindful of the security challenges bedeviling the state, amongst which are banditry, kidnappings, armed robbery and farmers/herders clashes, just to mention but a few.

“However, remarkable efforts were not spared in addressing the situation which culminates into the relative peace currently being enjoyed by law-abiding citizens in the state,’’ he said.

Mr Jalige also noted that when the Commissioner of Police, Mudassiru Abdullahi, assumed office a few months ago, Kaduna State was witnessing some daunting security challenges.

“Notwithstanding, having support from the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman, in terms of manpower and logistics and the unwavering assistance from the state government, the Command took some decisive approaches in tackling these challenges, and which ushered in a high level of calmness in our communities.

“The relatively serene security atmosphere in the state is as a result of the strategic and tactical deployment of the special units of the force, undercover operatives, conventional Police personnel and the purposeful synergy within the security architecture in the state,” he said.

Mr Jalige also disclosed that their efforts in investigating the culpable homicide case involving late AVM Mohammed Maisaka of No. A27 Makarfi Road, Rigasa, Kaduna, who was assassinated on Nov. 8, had yielded a positive result with the arrest of the principal suspect, Mohammed Giwa.

He said the suspect confessed that he and his cohorts had extorted money running into millions of naira at different times from the victim by threatening to kill him if he failed to meet up with their demands.

“All the suspects being paraded here are currently in various stages of investigation and will be charged to court on completion,” Mr Jalige said.

 (NAN)