The Taraba State Command has disclosed that its officers rejected a bribe of N8.5 million offered to them by a suspected kidnapper, Aliyu Mohammed. with a cash sum of N8,555,000 in Jalingo, the state capital.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Joseph Eribo, disclosed this while parading some suspected kidnappers and armed robbers at the Command headquarters in Jalingo on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.
According to the CP, the incident happened when the officers intercepted a vehicle on Monday night, January 29 along the Jalingo-Yola bye-pass.
“On the, 29/1/2024 at about 2145hrs, a team of mobile Police attached to 40PMF Jalingo, posted on nipping point duty at Yaggai along Jalingo – Yola bye-pass, arrested one Aliyu Mohammed of Mubi town in Adamawa State, age 35, in a Toyota starlet ash color with registration YLA 321 ZY,” the CP stated.
“During interrogation, the suspect could not give a satisfactory account of himself, a search was conducted on his vehicle and a cash sum of eight million five hundred and fifty- five thousand-naira N8,555,000, Seven mobile phones, three thousand unused MTN recharge cards and Seven amulets were discovered in his car.
“Immediately, police started searching the vehicle, two of the suspects jumped out and ran into the bush. The Suspect tried to bribe the PMF personnel, requesting them to take the whole money and allow him to go but the PMF personnel refused and arrested him accordingly.
“During our further investigation, we discovered another N4,000,000 in the suspect’s bank account,” the Commissioner said.
Meanwhile, the suspect denied being a kidnapper or criminal of any kind.
He claimed that the criminals requested him to drive them to Ngolore market near Yola, Adamawa State to buy cows since their vehicle was in a bad condition.
According to him, the criminals explained to him that the money was stolen money, and they were going to buy cows for their boss.
CP Aribo also disclosed that the operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping team, acting on a tip-off, succeeded in arresting a crew of suspected kidnappers terrorizing Jauro Ganah New CBN and environs.
They include; Habibu Ibrahim aka Rilwanu, Abba Mohammed aka Gandari, Aliyasssa’u Umar, Abdulaziz Adamu aka Dan-Mallam, Danlami Ibrahim aka Teacher, all of Jauro Ganah New CBN.
He added that the suspects have confessed to being involved in many kidnapping incidents that took place around Jauro Ganah and New CBN respectively.
“Three AK47 rifles with five rounds of live ammunition each were recovered from the suspects, and they are giving useful information that could lead to the arrest of the fleeing members of the gang.”
