The Kano State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a vehicle theft syndicate and recovered four allegedly stolen tricycles and a maroon Pontiac vehicle in separate intelligence-led operations.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Kiyawa, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the operations were carried out with the support of other security formations across state boundaries.
The first investigation began on August 4 after Abubakar Ali of Danmarke, Hotoro Quarters, reported the theft of his tricycle at the Bompai Police Division.
According to the police, Ali was riding along Hadejia Road when he picked 23-year-old Muhammad Sani as a passenger at Sufi Mart.
Sani, who allegedly appeared injured with bandages on his hand and leg, reportedly asked the rider to stop at a supermarket to buy some items. Police said he allegedly used another key to start the tricycle and drove away while the owner was away.
Following the report, Bompai Police alerted neighbouring divisions, leading to Sani’s arrest by a patrol team from the Bichi Police Division.
Further investigation reportedly led detectives to Katsina State, where they arrested another suspected member of the syndicate, 33-year-old Aminu Saad. Four allegedly stolen tricycles were recovered from him.
Police said the tricycles were reportedly stolen using a similar method. Saad allegedly confessed to being a member of the syndicate.
In a separate operation, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad arrested 23-year-old Isah Yusuf of Titin Jajira, Rijiyar Lemo, Kano, on July 25.
Yusuf was allegedly found with a maroon Pontiac vehicle without a registration number. He reportedly claimed that he bought the vehicle from Niger Republic through a man identified as Ashiru Mohammed, also known as Mai Gold.
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Further investigation, however, reportedly revealed that the vehicle had been stolen from Taraba State before being taken to Niger Republic, sold to a dealer and later brought back into Nigeria.
The police have appealed to the rightful owner of the Pontiac to come forward with valid proof of ownership through the Anti-Kidnapping Squad or the PPRO’s office at the Bompai Police Headquarters.
Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, commended the officers involved and said the recoveries demonstrated the importance of intelligence-led policing and cooperation among security formations across state boundaries.
He assured residents that the command would continue its operations under the IGP’s Handshake Patrol strategy to tackle criminal networks in Kano and its environs.
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