Operatives of the Gombe State Police Command have arrested 18 cattle rustlers.
The eighteen suspects were arrested after the command received credible intelligence that suspected cattle rustlers have rustled over five hundred (500) cows from Plateau, Bauchi and Taraba States in large numbers and heading towards Gombe through Bauchi axis.
Sequel to the report, Police tactical teams in collaboration with vigilante group and local hunters, mobilised, trailed and intercepted the rustlers around Kalmai junction in Billiri LGA of Gombe State”.
Nigeriacrime.com gathered that as soon as the suspects sighted the police some of them fled in disarray on their motor bikes and abandoned the rustled cows. However, the tenancy of the tactical teams paid off and eighteen (18) suspects were arrested.
During a painstaking search of their luggages the following exhibits were recovered: two (2) AK-47 rifles, one (1) AK-49 rifle, three hundred and twenty (320) rounds of live ammunition, fourteen (14) empty magazine, three (3) cutlasses”
“The fleeing rustlers abandoned: four hundred and eighty three (483) cows, one hundred and eighty six (186) sheep and ram, three (3) Donkeys, two Bajaj boxers motorcycles, two Honda motorcycles, seven (7) Tecno Handsets, one (1) Max phone, one (1) Foxkong phone, and the sum of nine hundred and ninety four thousand (N994, 000.00) naira were found in their possession”
“The rustled animals are under the custody of DPO Billiri pending completion of our investigation before releasing them to their owners who have already started coming for identification. Case has been transferred to the State CID for discreet investigation and prosecution”
Reacting to the arrest, the State Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Babaita said in continuation with our determination to further stem the tide of crime and ensure that criminals do not gain foot hold in Gombe State, the Command over the weekend have been very proactive and recorded a tremendous success.”
Babaita reassure the public that the Command under his watch will relentlessly continue to pursue the criminals from all nooks and crannies of the State and will not give them room to hibernate.
According to him, “the Police in Gombe will continue to strive for a better service delivery in performance of its constitutional responsibilities of the protection of lives and properties, maintenance of law and order, investigation and prosecution of offenders.”