On Thursday, the Abuja Police Department introduced 20 suspects to the media.
They were detained for a variety of offenses, including conspiracy, attempted murder, murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and illicit narcotics possession.
Among the accused was Yusuf Isah, 32, who was linked to an attack on the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleman, in 2022.
Isah told journalists that the attack on the religious leader was intended to be an assassination.
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The deadly incident occurred on the Benin-Auchi Road in Edo State, when gunmen assaulted the cleric’s convoy, killing six people, including three police officers.
Muyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer, offered additional information on the case.
He stated that Isah was caught by the Intelligence Rapid Team following extensive investigations.
Isah admitted that he and his associates followed the pastor to the scene of the incident, armed with five AK-47 rifles.
He said, “The attack on him (Suleman) was to assassinate him. I was not part of the discussion; Ilayasu and Labisca were the ones involved in the discussion.
“We attacked him with five AK 47 rifles. Labisca trailed him from where he was coming from to the point where we attacked him.”
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The police spokesman confirmed that five AK 47 riffles, two K2 rifles and 180 live ammunition were recovered from the suspect.
Adejobi said, “Following an intensive investigation into the fatal attack on the convoy of Apostle Johnson Suleman along Benin-Auchi Road wherein six people, including three police personnel, were gruesomely murdered, operatives of FIB-IRT on the trail of the assailants apprehended one Yusuf Isah, a native of Okene, Kogi State and a plumber, at Agbaraoluwa Phase 2 Ijoka, Akure, Ondo State and recovered five AK 47 rifles, two K2 assault rifles, 180 live ammunition and four suspected IEDs found in his apartment.”
According to the FPRO, some of the rifles seized with the suspect were stolen from the three police officers murdered in the incident.
He claimed the suspect admitted that the group kidnapped an oil magnate and a businessman and demanded N70 million and N2 million in exchange for their release.
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Adejobi added, “The suspect confessed that he joined the vicious gang in 2021 after he was freed from Olokuta Correctional Centre where he was on remand since 2019 for alleged involvement in armed robbery.
“The group specialises in kidnapping for ransom and has carried out about four kidnapping operations between 2021 and 2023, including the attack on the convoy of the cleric before the gang was eventually busted by the police.
“The suspect confessed that the gang was responsible for the kidnap of a popular oil dealer at Jetu, Auchi in 2022, where they obtained a ransom of about N70m before his release. The gang equally carried out the kidnapping of a businessman along the Benin-Agbor Expressway in 2022 and collected N20m as ransom from the victim’s family.”
He did, however, say that two members of the seven-man group were gunned deceased in separate contacts with police, and that efforts to catch other suspects who are still at large are ongoing.
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Emu Chidiebere, 34, Samuel Balogun, 22, Babatunde Femi, 30, and Nneka Opara, 32, were also displayed after being arrested for kidnapping.
Chidiebere, the main suspect, is accused of luring a Swiss national to Nigeria by posing as an agent who facilitates gold transactions.
Adejobi added, “The suspects held the victim hostage in the apartment from May 30, 2023, to June 2, 2023.
“The suspects took pictures of the victim and forwarded the pictures and threatening messages to the girlfriend of the victim in Zurich, who eventually sent them $2000 via Western Union on June 1, 2023. Upon receipt of the report, operatives of FIB-IRT were deployed on the case and they successfully apprehended the suspects.”
In the last two months, the force has arrested 548 armed robbery suspects, 242 abduction suspects, 365 murder/homicide suspects, and about 237 rape/defilement suspects.
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During the period, 113 kidnapping victims were rescued, according to Adejobi.
He stated that 306 weapons and 3,944 rounds of ammunition were recovered around the country.
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