• Arms recovered

Kano State Police Command has arrested 157 criminal suspects for various crimes in the last four weeks, the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, said yesterday.

Of those arrested 24 are robbers, 14 drug dealers, seven motor vehicle thieves, five motorcycle thieves, 28 thieves and 79 thugs (Yan Daba).

Among the weapons recovered are two English pistols, 19 fabricated revolver rifles, a fabricated pistol, 117 cartridges, six expended cartridges and 11 ammunition.

Other weapons recovered included 57 cutlasses, 71 sharp knives, 15 sharp irons (Dan Bida), seven scissors, two axes and a bow, among others.

Items recovered included two motor vehicles, two tricycles, three motorcycles, consignments of tramadol tablets worth N150 million, six cartons of Ampicillin tablets, 22 bottles of suck and die and 69 sachets and 260 pieces of exol tablets.

Bakori, who assumed duty on March 17, said, after obtaining briefs on the security in Kano, it became necessary to address pervasive issues of notorious thugs (Fadan Daba), drug abuse (Kwaya), armed robbery and other violent crimes.

“Over the past four weeks, the command intensified intelligence-led joint operations, round-the-clock visibility patrols and initiated strategic partnerships with community members.

“The proactive and collaborative efforts are yielding positive results and of the successes recorded are the breakthroughs that led to the dismantling of criminal networks that specialized in smuggling of firearms into the state.

“In order to ensure peace continues to prevail in the state, we have planned to conduct a series of community-based engagements and intelligence-led operations at strategic locations in the State with a view to prevent crimes and maintain law and order,” Bakori said, encouraging residents to cooperate with the police.