Bauchi: Police arrest 11-man gang specialised in stealing generators

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a gang of suspected thieves who specialize in stealing industrial power generators in the Azare town of the Katagum Local Government Area of the State.

Addressing journalists in Azare on Tuesday, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Muhammad, said the gang confessed to having carried out a series of operations in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and Cold Room close to the NTA station within the town.

He identified the suspects as Adamu Ibrahim ‘m’ 30 of Zigau in Shira Local Government Area, Ibrahim Adamu ‘m’ aged 22 of Azare, Musa Aliyu alias Manager ‘m’ 48 of Gwoza, Borno State, Umar ‘m’ of Azare, Alh Sani ‘m’ of Kano State.

Others are Sani Adamu ‘m’ 22 of Gadau, Itas-Gadau LGA; Rilwanu Saidu ‘m’ of Kano State; Victor Moses ‘m’ aged 29 of Hotoro via Fagge LGA, Kano State; Isaac Success ‘m’ 35 of Sabon Gari, Kano State; Adamu Ahmad ‘m’ Azare town, Katagum LGA; and Destiny Ihekwoabah ‘m’ aged 35 of Dutsen Bukuma, FCT Abuja; the receiver of some of the stolen generators.

Exhibits recovered from them included seven Mikano generators.

According to the CP, “During interrogation, the said Adamu Ibrahim stated that he was introduced to the gang through one Umar Abdullahi of Azare town, who is a friend of Alh. Sani ‘m’ of Kano State.

“The suspect participated in two operations carried out within Azare town and benefitted sixty thousand naira (60,000) from the first operation and fifty thousand naira (N50,000) as his share of the proceeds of the crime in the second operation from the gang leader “Alh. Sani” of Kano State.”

“The said Ibrahim Adamu corroborated the statement mentioned above. That he benefitted thirty thousand naira (30,000) from the proceeds of the crime. The third suspect Musa Aliyu, popularly known as Manager, who was residing in Mopol base Dutse, Jigawa State, stated that this was his first operation with the group along Azare-Giade road in an MTN mast with a J5 bus where they tied the security guard and stole away one Mekano Marapko generator white in color in the year 2022.

“In 2023, precisely October, he participated in two other separate operations at the Cold Room medicine store opposite NTA Television station Azare and the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Azare Study Center along Kano-Azare road and stole Mikano Generator from the two locations.

“He confessed that he benefitted fifty thousand naira (50,000) for the first operation and thirty thousand naira (30,000) for the second operation as his proceeds of crime. He equally confessed to having participated in other several operations in Jigawa State and stole one mixer machine in Dutse, Jigawa State close to the House of Assembly Quarters, One Basic Generator in an old water reservoir along Gujungu via Taura LGA Jigawa State, and one Mekano in Garo LGA Kano State. He benefitted the sum of fifty-five thousand nairas (55,000) from the three operations carried out in Jigawa and Kano States, respectively.”

“The fourth suspect Sani Adamu ‘m’ aged 22yrs of Gadau area Itas-Gadau LGA, Bauchi State, confessed to having participated in the two operations at Medicine cold store and National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Azare town and he benefited eighty thousand naira (N80,000) as his share of the proceed of crime.”

The CP further said, “Adamu Ahmad (habitual and unrepentant criminal) ‘m’ aged 33 yrs of Matsango area of Azare town Katagum LGA, confessed to have fully engaged in many criminal activities within and outside of Azare town, he has participated in an operation of vandalizing transformer oil sometime precisely December in the year 2022 and was arraigned in court, later he was released, soon after his release he joined this gang that attacked the National Open University and killed the security guard and stole away one Mekano, took to Abuja and sold to one Destiny Ihekwoabah.

“Kabiru Haruna ‘m’ aged 35yrs of ‘Yan Lemo Na’ibawa Kano State, confessed to the crime and stated that he engaged in two operations at Medicine Cold Store and the National Open University all in Azare town and benefitted the sum of four hundred thousand naira (400,000) as his proceed of the crime.

“Victor and Isaac also confessed to having participated in the two operations carried out by the gang in Azare town which led to the beaten up of a security guard during the National Open University’s operation which led to the death of the security man, investigation is still ongoing, the effort is on top gear to arrest the remaining accomplices who are at large, after which the suspect will be charged to court for prosecution.”