Gombe State Police Command has apprehended 12 suspects on charges of criminal conspiracy, trespass, theft, and receiving stolen properties.
The arrests were made following credible intelligence received by the police, leading to the interception of the suspects in possession of a submersible pump suspected to have been stolen.
The suspects include David Garba (23), Isah Mamuda, Ahmed Mamuda (28), Samaila Francis (25), Salmanu Jibril (20), Daniel Danladi (20), Jessy Jackson (18), Ezekiel Kadiri (17), Abdulrahman Hassan (18), Ali Rabiu (22), Sirajo Abdullahi (18), and Sadique Hassan Dokoro, who is still at large.
According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mahid Mu’azu Abubakar, the recovered items, including the pump, were identified as belonging to the Federal Ministry of Environmental Forestry Research Institute, Kaltungo branch.
Mahid stated that further investigation revealed that the suspects had engaged in criminal activities within the Kaltungo axis, involving the removal of properties, such as pipes and electrical cables.
He said the suspects confessed to their involvement in those activities.
In another incident reported on January 30, 2024, two individuals reported to the Kaltungo Division that the same group of suspects, in collaboration with two others named Sani Yunusa and Dahiru Audu (both at large), broke into stores owned by Kadus Hasari and Salihu Usman.
The stolen items included ten bags of maize worth N500,000, one mattress worth N70,000, and twelve empty sacks valued at N3,000.
The police recovered additional exhibits, including a long dagger, a heavy iron cutter used in breaking the stores, and a Bajaj motorcycle used for transporting the stolen items.
The cases will be charged to court upon the completion of investigations, the police said.