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Emir Ado Bayero

•Close Shave: Emir Ado Bayero

Police nab suspected attackers of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero’s convoy

The Police recently made some headway in Kano by fishing out the masterminds of the attack on Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Abdullahi Bayero’s convoy on Saturday 19 January. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim K. Idris, told newsmen during a press conference two weeks ago that Babangida Baba Salihu and Na’Allah SNU, all from Jigawa State, who were named by a gang of armed robbers arrested by his men, were already declared wanted over the attack on the Emir of Kano’s convoy which resulted to the death of six people. The duo who are known traders in Sabon Gari market are on the wanted list of the police.

•Close Shave: Emir Ado Bayero
•Close Shave: Emir Ado Bayero

The Joint Security outfit, JTF also confirmed to TheNEWS that three prime suspects are in their custody over the attack on the Emir. During a JTF raid at Chiranchi Quarters near Bayero University Kano old site, security personnel also discovered and demolished a bomb-making factory. Bomb-making instruments, dangerous weapons and assorted arms and ammunition, including four AK 47 assault rifles, were found in the house.

As at the time of filing this report (Thursday, 7 February), several raids being conducted by the JTF are on-going at different locations in Kano, identified as flashpoints and abodes of members of the sect, Islamic Boko Haram.

Recent findings by security agencies in Kano, known to be one of the major playgrounds of the Boko Haram sect, put a question mark on the latest declaration by one of the sect leaders that they had ceased fire.

Idris said on 20 January, a distress call came into the Command’s & Control Room from Jogana, a suburb within Kano city, alerting the Police of a robbery incident. “We immediately dispatched an anti-robbery squad. Our men arrested Hashimu Ado and Mohammed Auwal, both from Katsina state, for conspiring with three others now at large to attack a Super Market in the area and robbed them of undisclosed amounts of money.” He added that one Zailani from Wudil in Kano was lynched by an angry mob before the arrival of the Police. According to the Police boss, items recovered from the suspected armed robbers were three AK 47 rifles, five magazines, 69 rounds of ammunition and two mobile handsets.

He said that further investigation revealed that Babangida is the leader of the armed robbery gang who also engage in acts of terrorism, killing identified individuals and security men. Also, on 6 February, based on information, Police nabbed a group of terrorists at Yankaba axis within Kano metropolis. They were carrying a large sack containing guns and Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDS. “The hoodlums, on sighting the Police, abandoned the bag and took to their heels. The bag was carefully secured and searched and it was found to be filled with six AK 47 rifles, two assault rifles, pistol, riot gunner, two IEDs, 13 magazines, 723 of 5.56 live ammunition, 157 of 7.6 live ammunition 21 of .9mm live ammunition and 33 empty shells.

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The IEDs, according to the Police boss, were safely detonated without injury on the men, adding that during a  search in the bush within the area, 22 pictures, a ZE handset, two GSM handset batteries, a piece of memory card, a book containing GSM numbers, an ear-piece and two bags of clothes were recovered, while one of the suspects, known as Adamu Safiyanu, was declared wanted.

In another press conference on Thursday 7 February, seven out of the 15 suspected terrorists linked with the attack on the Emir of Kano’s convoy were paraded by Kano State Police Command. The police authorities equally declared eight other members of the sect implicated in that attack wanted. Among the seven suspects paraded were four Kano indigenes and two others from Sokoto and Katsina states.

•Back view of the suspected terrorists who attacked Emir Bayero’s motorcade, they were paraded by Kano Police
•Back view of the suspected terrorists who attacked Emir Bayero’s motorcade, they were paraded by Kano Police

Police records also revealed the involvement of a popular Imam of a Kano mosque and a member of National Hajj Commission from Jigawa state, two renowned Islamic scholars from Kano and another two prominent Jigawa state indigenes as having a hand in the attackon the the Emir’s attack. A highly placed Police source told TheNEWS that the Imam had been arrested. “I can only identify him as Sheikh Ghali. He is in our custody and I must tell you that he has questions to answer. During interrogation, he agreed to have had knowledge of a series of terror-attacks in Kano in recent times, but he refused to admit taking part in the attack on the Emir’s convoy; whereas, one of his boys in our custody has mentioned his name as the one who always send them on Jihad. We are not leaving any stone unturned. Very soon, they will be arraigned for murder and culpable homicide.”

Idris recalled that the attackers who came on motorbikes had strategically taken positions at Isah Waziri Road, adding that they announced their presence with a suicide bomb-blast which affected the lead car of the convoy. “Then the attackers shot sporadically at the Emir’s Limousine car, killing his driver instantly and two close aides who tried to shield him. At some distance from the scene, the attackers shot and killed the Interim Management Officer of Kombotso Local Government and his aides; as well as injured the two sons of the Emir, other palace guards and some innocent citizens,” he narrated.

He noted that the desperate search for the masterminds of that deadly attack led to the arrest of one Sani, 35, who voluntarily confessed to being involved in the attack on the Emir and other coordinated attacks in the state, which included the killing of policemen at Kwanar Freedom, burning of Primary school at Gayawa and Sharada, among others. The Police boss quoted the Boko Haram member as ` saying that he was recruited into the terror group by an Islamic scholar and Imam of a popular Kano Mosque: “He usually orders us to go for jihad and anybody who decides to pull out from the way of jihad will be killed,” Sani was quoted as saying, adding that a student of the state University of Technology, Wudil, was also part of the terror gang and usually keeps the firearms used for its operations.

—Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

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