The Gombe State Police Command has arrested 12 individuals on charges of criminal conspiracy, trespass, theft, and receiving stolen property.
These apprehensions followed actionable intelligence received by the police, leading to the interception of the suspects in possession of a submersible pump believed to be stolen.
The detained individuals are identified as 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 remains at large.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mahid Mu’azu Abubakar, reported that the recovered items, including the pump, were confirmed as belonging to the Federal Ministry of Environmental Forestry Research Institute, Kaltungo branch.
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, to which they admitted during questioning.
In a separate incident on January 30, 2024, two individuals informed the Kaltungo Division that the same group of suspects, in collaboration with two others named Sani Yunusa and Dahiru Audu (both at large), burglarized stores owned by Kadus Hasari and Salihu Usman.
The stolen items comprised ten bags of maize valued at N500,000, one mattress worth N70,000, and twelve empty sacks totaling N3,000 in worth.
During the investigation, the police recovered additional evidence, including a long dagger, a heavy iron cutter utilized in breaking into the stores, and a Bajaj motorcycle employed for transporting the stolen goods.
Upon the completion of investigations, the police intend to bring charges against the suspects in court.
