Bauchi State Police Command has arrested five suspects linked to motorcycle theft and the trafficking of cannabis sativa within the state capital.
Police spokesperson SP Ahmed Wakil, in a statement on Thursday, said the arrests were the outcome of intelligence-driven operations ordered by the new Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu.
According to Wakil, operatives from the A Division received a tip-off from a resident about a motorcycle theft syndicate operating in Bakaro, Bauchi metropolis.
Acting swiftly, a team led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Musa Alhaji Hassan, launched a sting operation.
Two suspects were arrested in the process: Abdulhamid Auwal (20), alias Wala, and Aliyu Rabiu (20), alias Hitler, both residents of Bakaro.
During interrogation, the pair admitted to conspiring with others to burgle the residence of one Baba Karami in Unguwar Sarkin Kofa, where they stole a Bajaj motorcycle.
Wakil explained that the motorcycle was dismantled, packed in a sack, and sold. Preliminary findings revealed that the gang had been responsible for several thefts in the area.
Further investigation also linked two other suspects, identified as Mahmood Mahmood (alias Ankula) and Ganiya, to the syndicate.
In a separate operation, the Command’s Rapid Response Squad, led by SP Suleiman Tambuwal, arrested three more suspects on August 23 during a visibility patrol at the Asorock Mountain axis of Wuntin Dada.
The suspects, Hussaini Lawal (20), Baba Sadiq Ibrahim (18), and Wada Yusuf (21), were nabbed in an abandoned building while distributing dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa.
Recovered items included half a block of cannabis, six knives, scissors, a bundle of PTF lighters, additional cigarette lighters, a container of shredded tobacco, and a makeshift bunker.
Lawal reportedly confessed to dealing in cannabis for over a year and provided names of his accomplices.
SP Wakil assured that all suspects remain in custody as investigations continue, while CP Aliyu reiterated the Command’s commitment to stamping out crime and ensuring safety across Bauchi State.
Bauchi police arrest five over motorcycle theft, cannabis trade
