No fewer than 31 miscreants have been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command for different offences.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday.
Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, said seven of the suspects were arrested in Azare, Katagum Local Government Area headquarters following a clash between two rival groups of thugs popularly called “Sara Suka.”
The statement read, “The attention of the Bauchi State Police Command has been drawn to an inter-group clash between thugs and thuggery groups (Sara-suka) in Azare.
“Following multiple complaints against the activities of Sara-suka who terrorised Azare residents, on April 2 and 3, 2023, the Sara-suka group fell out in an enormous attack on innocent citizens and looting of some shops without any course.
“On receiving the information, a team of operatives led by the Azare Divisional Police Officer swiftly swung into action and raided the clash point and arrested seven suspects in connection with the crime.”
He gave the names of the suspects as Haruna Wada a.k.a Dantalaka, (21); Abdullahi Makaho, (20); Adamu Makaho, (22); Ibrahim Yayaji, (25); Dauda Wada, (25) all males and residents of Shatima Mustapha Quarters, Azare.
Others, according to him are Abdullahi Usman aka Chilli (25) and Mohammed Stamina (21) all males of Garin Arap, Azare.
The police spokesperson said the suspects would be charged while efforts are ongoing to arrest their accomplices currently at large.Similarly, Wakil said 17 thugs were arrested for criminal conspiracy and theft in the Bauchi metropolis.
He said, “Sequel to the directives of the state Commissioner of Police against the backdrop of the security situation in the state, the command has intensified patrols, guard duty and raids of identified black spots to effectively checkmate crime and criminality in the state.
“Consequently, the command conducted a raid led by the Commander, Rapid Response Squad on some black spots and arrested 17 thugs popularly known as Sara Suka, including their ring leaders.”
He said exhibits recovered from them include five cutlasses, four knives and two iron rods, adding that they would be charged to court.
Wakil added that in another development, seven suspects were arrested for their alleged involvement in a gang fight between Birshin Fulani youths and those of Ungwan Kanawa, within the Bauchi metropolis.
He identified those arrested as Nazeef Hassan (17), Yakubu Saidu (19), Muazu Ali (18), and Usama Musa (19), all males of Birshin Fulani; while the others are Saddam Murtala (19) Abubakar Aliyu (18), Murtala Haladu (20), Ibrahim Haruna (17) and Shamsudeen Haruna (18).
