Soldiers Arrest Kaduna Village Chief, Other Residents in Connection with Kidnapping

Residents of Janjala community in Kagarko area of Kaduna State said some soldiers arrived their community on Tuesday and arrested the traditional chief of the village and 10 other residents. Speaking to Daily Trust newspaper, the residents said the arrests followed the arrest of two other suspects in Kagarko town who they claimed must have given the information which led to the arrest of the chief and the other residents. An anonymous source told Daily Trust that those arrested are suspected of working as informants to terrorists gang, believed to be responsible for widespread kidnapping for ransom in the area. He said two suspects were first picked up in Kagarko after which the soldiers drove in eight Hilux vans to the Janjala community and arrested the village head and 10 others. Another local source, Yahuza Sulaiman, said the village head, Ibrahim Aliyu, has been taken to the state capital, Kaduna for further investigation. “And since the soldiers came and picked the Madaki and some suspects, his phone number was not connecting, but someone I was able to communicate with this morning told me that he is being questioned in Kaduna about the kidnap incidents in Janjala,” he said. The police spokesperson in the state, Mohammed Jalige didn’t respond to SMS on the arrest.

Kaduna, like several other north-western States in the country and a part of the state north-central, has been witnessing series of terrorists activities for years leading to the deaths and displacement of people. Informants are considered the top in the list of crises enablers that make the activities of these terrorists easier. These informants are known to provide the terrorists with information on “suitable” targets to be abducted, help the terrorists get the phone contacts of families of abductees, inform the terrorists about the movement of security agents among other duties. Most of these informants are said to be getting “something” in return from the for their role. Traditional rulers including second Emirs have been found guilty of aiding and abetting terrorism especially in Zamfara state and other north-western states.

Source: Premium Times