The Police Command in Kano State, has arrested a fake military officer who allegedly specialised in extorting tricycle operators.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna-Kiyawa, confirmed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Tuesday in Kano.
He said that the suspect, Abubakar Zailani-Ibrahim, 27, presented himself as military personnel and arrested a tricycle operator and took him to Rijiyar Zaki Police Station Kano.
He said “the suspect claimed that some weeks ago, the said tricyclist made away with his military uniform and other valuables amounting to N195,000”.
The PPRO revealed that the Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Shu’aibu-Dikko, instructed the Divisional Police Officer, Rijiyar Zaki, CSP Usman Abdullahi to investigate the matter.
According to Mr Haruna-Kiyawa, preliminary investigation revealed that “the complainant is not military personnel and the claim was found to be untrue.
“On discreet investigation, the suspect confessed to have specialized in using the same tactics to extort tricycle operators within Kano metropolis by presenting himself as a military personnel.
“He further confessed to have hailed from Adamawa and came to Kano purposely for this criminal act.”
Mr Haruna-Kiyawa further said that the command would continue to carryout rigorous patrols and raids of criminal hideouts and black spots throughout the state.
The PPRO added that the ongoing `Operation Puff Adder’ would be sustained to minimise crime in the state.
He urged the people to report any emergency through the command’s phone lines: 08032419754, 08123821575, 08076091271, or log into the “NPF Rescue Me” Application on Play Store. NAN