The Kaduna State Police Command has reacted to allegations of complicity and compromise on its part in the fight against banditry in the State.
The reaction was contained in a statement issued Tuesday, December 15, 2021, by the State Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige.
TheFact Nigeria reports that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase of APC, representing Plateau, had, on Tuesday, 14 December, 2021, while moving a motion of urgent public importance on recent attacks on Pinau in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State, accused some officers of the Nigeria Police Force of conniving with bandits operating in the North. Mr Wase claimed some security agencies were conniving with bandits to sabotage the effort of the government to tackle bandits, and further cited three instances of police officers releasing suspected bandits, kidnappers and robbers.
According to Jalige, the Congressman’s allegations are false and unfounded.
Setting the record straight, Jalige disclosed that the Kaduna State Police Command has within the last eleven months, been at the forefront of the fight against banditry, armed robbery and kidnapping in the state.
This, he stated had led to the arrest of a total of 305 suspects over their involvement in the series of banditry attacks, armed robbery and kidnapping operations on the Kaduna-Abuja highway and other localities in Kaduna State.
“Out of these, 242 suspects are being prosecuted at various courts within the State. Similarly, a total of 161 sophisticated firearms and weapons, and 2,924 ammunition were recovered by the Police in the various crime fighting operations. Also, 168 kidnap victims were successfully rescued and reunited with their families”, the statement said
Consequently, the Command stated unequivocally that at no time has it connived, aided or abetted the commission of these heinous crimes in the State. It added that the report that bandits who were arrested by the Police were subsequently released is “unfounded and misleading” .
“The provision of the law is clear as to the role of the Police within the gamut of the criminal justice system including its statutory powers touching on the investigation, apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders. The Command under the leadership of Commissioner of Police, CP Mudassiru Abdullahi will remain focused in the discharge of these responsibilities”, the statement said further.
The Command therefore enjoined all stakeholders in the fight against insecurity to desist from making comments capable of undermining the fight against banditry and other crimes, not just in Kaduna state but the country at large.
ASP Jalige further restated that the Command under the watch of the Commissioner, rather than being discouraged in any way, would remain unrelenting in ensuring that “the few misguided individuals bent on disrupting the peace in the state by perpetrating these nefarious activities are arrested, and made to face the wrath of the law”.
Abdullahi called on residents of the State to promptly report any suspicious activity within their locality to the nearest police station.
