Kidnappers: Wike offers N20m bounty on two Abuja ‘criminals’

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday announced a N20 million bounty on two criminal suspects terrorizing residents.

He said the suspects should be gotten dead or alive.

Wike made the announcement at the FCT Police where 15 suspected kidnappers and one-chance robbers were paraded.

The bounty was in response to the Police Commissioner’s remarks that two other criminals were still on the run, adding that the police were on their trail.

“You said there are two criminals on the run? Let me put money on their heads. Wherever they are, send your men out there, I will give them N20 million.

“Go and fish them out, wherever they are. I want to see them dead or alive,” the minister said.

Wike, who could not hide his joy over the arrest of the paraded suspects, commended the commissioner and his men for the wonderful job, saying “the difference is clear.”

He assured the command that he would do everything possible to provide the police with the needed equipment to fight crimes in the FCT.

“Let me assure the residents of FCT that with the support of President Bola Tinubu, we are fully prepared to take the war to the criminals.

“I trust the police and our confidence in them is getting stronger,” he added.

The minister pointed out that Information was key to winning the war against crime, adding that without information, there was nothing the security agencies could do.

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He urged the police to do more on intelligence gathering.

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Earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, said the suspects were arrested within two days.

Igweh explained that men of the command attached to Mabushi Divisional Headquarters, arrested eight suspected armed robbers operating one-chance vehicles to rob FCT residents.

“Acting on credible intelligence, the suspects who are responsible for several one-chance activities in the past, were trailed to the Central Area in an attempt to rob some innocent residents and were arrested.”

“The suspects confessed to using toy guns and knives to scare their victims to illegally obtain from them,” he said.

He said operatives of Utako Divisional Headquarters along with the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command on February 13, arrested seven suspected kidnappers.

He explained that the suspects were arrested in Pyankasa, Tudun Wada and Ketti village, of the FCT, in connection to the kidnapping of 14 persons.

“They are responsible for the kidnapping of five victims in Federal Mortgage Housing Estate, Kabusa, three people at Ketti village, and Fulani residents of Alhaji Sani.

“They are also responsible for the kidnap of a woman and her gate man in Kabusa Estate, one Mr Sunday Zakwai and four others and equally killed the district head of the area.

“The criminals also kidnapped two staff at Defence Estate Kabusa.

The commissioner said N20 million cash, six AK-47 rifles, bulletproof vests and locally fabricated walkie talkie were recovered from the suspects.

Igweh said all the suspects would be charged to court after proper investigation.