Police arrest suspected killers of ex-Governor Dariye’s father
Police operatives have arrested eight kidnapping suspects implicated in investigations over the abduction and eventual murder of Pa Dariye Dafwan, the late father of former Governor of Plateau, Joshua Dariye, in Horop community, Bokkos local government area of the state.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer Commissioner, in Abuja, CP Frank Mbah, described the suspects as ‘notorious and high-profile,’ while parading them in Abuja, Wednesday.
According to Mbah, ‘Pa Dariye was abducted on 17th June, 2020 and shot dead eight days after the criminals collected a ransom of ten million naira from the family of the deceased.’
“The arrest of the suspects follows unrelenting efforts by the Police to ensure perpetrators of the dastardly act are arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
“The breakthrough that led to the arrest of the suspects began with the arrest of one Abubakar Mohammed a.k.a Buba ‘m’ 23yrs, native of Gada Biyu in Daffo district, Bokkos LGA, Plateau State. Buba is one of the principal suspects in the kidnap operation.
“The confession of the suspect which revealed how they abducted and murdered the nonagenarian, assisted the Police team in apprehending seven (7) other members of the gang – Ya’u Saidu aka Ya’u Kaban m’ 40yrs, from Kaban Village, Bokkos LGA, Plateau State, Titus Ezekiel 34yrs from from Horop, Bokkos LGA, Dauda Isah ‘m’ 30yrs, from Horop, Sunday Ibrahim ‘m’ 35yrs, Mushere tribe from Horop, Mangut Shumwar ‘m’ 30yrs, from Horop, Henry Amos ‘m’ 35yrs native of Horop, and Jethro Ngusen ‘m’ 57yrs, native of Horop,” Mbah explained.
He narrated that the ‘investigations further revealed that it was Jethro Ngusen, the mastermind and convener of the gang, that instructed one of the gang members, Mangut Shumwar to kill Pa Dariye, because he feared that Pa Dariye might recognize the suspects since majority of them are from the same village with the deceased.’
Jethro was also identified as the one who took custody of the ransom and later shared the proceeds of the crime amongst the gang members.
In a relaed development, the police team arrested one 31-year old, male suspect Sadiq Abubakar from Kogi State and another 25-year old male, Peter Moses from Kaduna State who both abducted a 22yr-old lady to a location in Suleja.
Mbah added that the suspects held the young lady hostage, had repeated canal knowledge of the victim and extorted money from her parents as ransom before her release.
“Investigations by the Police team show that the suspects, who are serial virtual kidnappers, usually meet their victims on social media platforms particularly, Facebook, and thereafter lure them to their criminal hideout before subjecting them to sexual molestation and further obtaining ransom from their families.”
Mbah further added that police operatives also intercepted three suspects; Emmanuel Joel, 42yrs; Ayuba Joel, 30yrs; and Hassan Umar, 30yrs; on 28th August, 2021, in possession of one AK-49 rifle loaded with fourteen live ammunition and twenty-six AK-47 magazines, at a border town between Nasarawa and Taraba State.
“Investigations by the Police team revealed that the suspects are criminal arms dealers who supply weapons to criminal elements in Nasarawa and Taraba States. Efforts are being intensified to arrest members of the gang currently at large.”
According to Mbah, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has given the assurance that ‘the Force is committed to working with law abiding citizens to secure the nation and reduce crimes to the barest minimum in the country.’
“He advised users of the social media to remain circumspect and protect themselves from cyber crooks masquerading as online friends,” Mbah said.
All the suspects will be charged to court on completion of investigations.
