The Nasarawa State Police Command has recovered N6.9 million and multiple rifles abandoned by suspected kidnappers following a car accident in Garaku, Kokona Local Government Area.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday, August 18. He said operatives received a distress call around 9 a.m. about a crash involving an Opel Vectra near the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) checkpoint.
According to Nansel, two occupants of the vehicle fled the scene, abandoning weapons and cash. A VIO officer first recovered a G3 rifle and money from the car before handing them over to the police. The vehicle was later towed to the station, where a further search uncovered one AK-47 rifle, one Type 06 rifle, another G3 rifle, three magazines, 57 rounds of live ammunition, and N6.9 million.
Nansel disclosed that a joint operation with the military led to the arrest of one suspect, Mohammed Tahir, from Barkin Ladi in Plateau State. “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being a member of a seven-man kidnap gang responsible for the abduction of a lawyer in Nyanya, Abuja, where ransom was collected. He revealed that he and another accomplice were on their way to Jos to share the proceeds of the crime before the accident occurred,” he said.
The police spokesperson added that the recovered items and the suspect have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Lafia on the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Shettima Jauro-Mohammed.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and continue cooperating with security agencies, noting that efforts are ongoing to track down the fleeing members of the gang.