The Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has arrested suspected terrorism financiers, alleged suppliers of motorcycles to bandits, armed robbery suspects and suspected kidnappers in separate intelligence-led operations across Kaduna and Plateau states.
The operations also led to the recovery of five firearms, including two pistols and three locally fabricated pistols, as well as a motorcycle and a stolen Toyota Corolla.
The Force Intelligence Department disclosed this during a press briefing on the operational achievements of the IRT in Abuja, explaining that the operations were part of sustained efforts to dismantle criminal networks involved in kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and terrorism-related activities.
In one of the operations, the commander of the IRT, DCP Adamu Muazu said the police arrested two suspects, identified as Nura Umar, 20, from Kidandan, and Alhaji Rabiu Aliyu, 58, from Zaria, Kaduna State, over alleged involvement in kidnapping and banditry-related activities.
The suspects were arrested on August 29, 2026, following intelligence linking them to the supply of motorcycles to bandits operating within Kaduna and Katsina states.
According to the police, the suspects confessed to supplying several motorcycles to bandit groups in the two states.
One Honda CV-125 motorcycle without a registration number was recovered during the operation.
The police said the arrest was significant to efforts to dismantle the financial and logistical networks sustaining kidnapping and banditry, adding that investigations were ongoing to identify other accomplices and trace the financial channels supporting the criminal activities.
In another operation, the IRT arrested three suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly involved in one-chance operations, car snatching and armed robbery in Kaduna and its environs.
The suspects were identified as Abdullahi Abubakar, Yusuf Mohammed and Bala Ibrahim.
The police said Abubakar was arrested on October 12, 2026, at about 8:30pm, following credible human and technical intelligence on a gang allegedly terrorising residents, particularly commercial tricycle and motorcycle operators.
The gang was accused of strangling its victims before dispossessing them of their valuables.
The police disclosed that Abubakar, who had previously served a 13-year jail term for a similar offence, identified a suspected gang leader, Boniface, who is currently in Kaduna Prison.
According to the police, Boniface allegedly directed Abubakar to a hideout where the gang’s operational firearms were kept.
Following the execution of a reproduction warrant, operatives recovered two pistols from the location.
Further investigations reportedly led to the arrest of Mohammed and Ibrahim, who were identified as receivers of stolen vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles.
The police alleged that Mohammed received and facilitated the movement of stolen vehicles to the Niger Republic through Sokoto State, with one Dahiru, who is currently at large, allegedly serving as a link in the operation.
Ibrahim was also accused of receiving stolen motorcycles and commercial tricycles.
In a separate operation in Jos, Plateau State, the IRT arrested three suspects over alleged armed robbery and kidnapping activities.
The suspects, identified as Benjamin Okafor, 38, Moses Akintuwi, 41, and Emmanuel Maikarfi, were arrested on November 2, 2026, at about 3:30pm.
Items recovered from them included three locally fabricated pistols, one cartridge and an unregistered 2015 Toyota Corolla.
The police alleged that the suspects robbed a victim at gunpoint, dispossessing him of N200,000 cash, a laptop, three mobile phones and three ATM cards.
They were also accused of using the victim’s ATM cards to withdraw an additional N800,000 from his bank accounts.
The police said investigations were ongoing to arrest other members of the suspected gang and establish their possible involvement in other criminal activities.
The Force Intelligence Department said the operational successes demonstrated the commitment of the IRT to tackling criminality through intelligence gathering, proactive policing and the dismantling of criminal networks.
It stressed that the fight against violent crimes required not only the arrest of direct perpetrators but also the identification of individuals and networks providing financial and logistical support to criminal groups.
The police urged members of the public to provide credible and timely information that could assist security agencies in identifying criminal activities and preventing threats.
It also warned against spreading unverified information capable of undermining ongoing investigations and security operations.