The Kano State Police Command has arrested three suspected vehicle thieves and recovered one suspected stolen motor vehicle and four tricycles in separate intelligence-led operations involving inter-state collaboration.
The Command said the operations were conducted in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, on proactive policing, crime prevention and inter-state cooperation.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer for the Kano State Command, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa.
In the first operation, police arrested two suspected members of a tricycle theft syndicate and recovered four stolen tricycles.
The Command said the incident began on August 4, when a tricycle rider, Abubakar Ali, reported at Bompai Police Division that a passenger identified as 23-year-old Muhammad Sani had allegedly tricked him into leaving his tricycle while pretending to be injured and in distress.
According to the police, Sani had asked the rider to purchase some items for him at a supermarket. When the rider left, the suspect allegedly used another key to start the tricycle and drove away.
Following the report, Bompai Police Division alerted neighbouring divisions, leading to the suspect’s arrest by a patrol team from Bichi Police Division.
Further investigation took police operatives to Katsina State, where they arrested another alleged member of the syndicate, 33-year-old Aminu Saad.
Police said four suspected stolen tricycles were recovered from Saad and that the vehicles had previously been reported stolen using a similar method.
The Command said the four tricycles had since been returned to their rightful owners, while efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate.
In a separate operation, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad arrested 23-year-old Isah Yusuf of Titin Jajira, Rijiyar Lemo, Kano, on July 25 following credible intelligence.
The suspect was allegedly found in possession of a maroon Pontiac vehicle without a registration number.
Police said Yusuf initially claimed that he had bought the vehicle from Niger Republic through one Ashiru Mohammed, also known as Mai Gold, 35, of Kofar Ruwa, Dala Local Government Area.
Further investigation, however, reportedly revealed that the vehicle had been stolen from Taraba State, taken to Niger Republic, sold to a dealer and subsequently repurchased and brought back into Nigeria.
The Command said the case remained under investigation.
It appealed to the rightful owner of the maroon Pontiac to come forward with proof of ownership through the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad or the Police Public Relations Officer’s Office at the Bompai Police Headquarters.
The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, commended officers of Bompai and Bichi divisions and the Anti-Kidnapping Squad for their swift response and professionalism.
Bakori also urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information on suspicious activities, assuring the public that the Command would sustain intelligence-driven operations and inter-state collaboration to combat criminal activities in Kano and neighbouring states.