By Christopher Oji and Molly Kilete, Abuja

 Inspector General Of Police IGP Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has smashed an eleven-man notorious kidnap syndicate led by dismissed personnel of the Department of State Service (DSS). The gang had been terrorising Abuja and environ.

IRT also rescued victims and recovered AK47 rifle and two pistols.

Following the kidnapping of Alhaji Isa Ozi Salami 67, in Maitama District on March 21, 2017, IGP Ibrahim Idris, directed IRT, led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Abba Kyari and anti-kidnapping squad of Abuja Command to jointly fish out the notorious gang.

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Jimoh Moshood, said the joint team swung into action and after five days of meticulous follow up, 11 of the kidnappers, including Kelvin Emeka (28), overall gang leader and a native of Awgu LGA, in Enugu was arrested.

The FPRO said Emeka was earlier charged to Gwagwalada High Court in October 2016 with three others for kidnapping and armed robbery after kidnapping Miss Ngozi Dabiri and several others in Abuja. The court released the suspect and his gang members less than six weeks after being charged.

He said: “Ndubisi Prince Ozor 31, second-in-command of the gang, was also charged to court for armed robbery in November 2016 and was released by the court.”

Moshood said the leader of the gang, Abdulrasheed Maigari, from Donga LGA of Taraba State, was a 2006 Political Science graduate of Bayero University Kano, who was recruited into DSS as a graduate officer in September 2011 but dismissed and charged to court for engaging in robbery with some Army personnel in Abuja.

According to him, “he was released by the court and he immediately joined this kidnapping gang in Abuja and became the coordinator of the gang. He rented two houses in Suleja, where they kept victims.

“Another gang member, Sunday Tyavnor 33, from Ovi LGA area Nasarawa State, is the arms dealer who sold the AK47 rifle used for the kidnappings for N470, 000 and the two pistols for N60, 000 each. He was arrested in Nasarawa State. Zayor Alfred 23, who watched over kidnapped victims, was arrested in the camp were the victim was rescued.”

The FPRO said Avah Joseph 25, who guarded kidnap victims and participated in operations, was arrested at their camp, likewise Gabriel Friday 33 and Rajab Baba Ishiaka. Others are Ali Sani and Mohammed Abubakar, from Mokwa, in Niger State, who supplied registered SIM cards to the kidnappers.

He said: “The victim, Alhaji Isa Salami, former GM, PAN, MD, Nigeria Paper Mills, Jebba and chairman, Gateway Insurance, was rescued from the kidnappers’ hideouts, a two bedroom house in a remote side of Suleja, Niger State.

“One AK47 rifle with number, 5163908, three AK47 magazines loaded with 90 live rounds of ammunition and two pistols with 14 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the kidnappers.”

He said the suspects normally trailed victims who drove expensive cars, especially in the evening.

The dismissed DSS personnel said: “I joined DSS in 2011 as a cadet  officer, but, I was dismissed from service over the theft of N310m from a power politician’s house.”