Troops Apprehend Notorious Kidnap Kingpin, Buhari Umar
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Defense Headquarters has announced the arrest of Buhari Umar, a notorious gunrunner and kidnap kingpin who has been terrorising communities across Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, and Kaduna states.
Major General Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, disclosed this while briefing journalists on military operational activities across the country in Abuja on Thursday.
According to Kangye, troops have also eliminated several terrorists, including Nkwachi Eze, a wanted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who was coordinating attacks and kidnappings in the South East.
Also, a five-man kidnapping syndicate was arrested in Nasarawa State, with the suspects identified as Hassan Mohammed, Saleh Sani, Idi Yusuf, Adamu Danmai, and Hassan Bello.
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Kanye added that the military operations have yielded significant results, with 173 kidnapped victims rescued, 204 terrorists and their family members surrendering, and 430 individuals suspected of oil theft and other criminal activities arrested.
In the Niger Delta, troops of Operation DELTA SAFE thwarted oil theft activities valued at over ₦1.9 billion, seizing large quantities of stolen crude oil and petroleum products.
Giving the details of recovered items, Kangye noted “The breakdown is as follows: 1,009,733 litres of stolen crude oil, 304,811 litres of illegally refined AGO and 3,480 litres of DPK, 19,875 litres of PMS, and 1,600 litres of engine oil. Additionally, they discovered and destroyed 351 crude oil cooking ovens, 418 dugout pits, 30 boats, 9 speedboats, 160 storage tanks, 721 drums, and 95 illegal refining sites”.
“Other items recovered include pumping machines, drilling machines, tricycles, motorcycles, mobile phones, and 42 vehicles.
“Additionally, troops recovered large quantities of various arms, such as automatic weapons, RPG tubes, machine guns, locally fabricated guns, and improvised explosive devices. Also, some cache of live cartridges and assorted ammunition were recovered.”
Kangye therefore reaffirmed the military’s commitment to ridding the country of criminal elements and restoring peace across all troubled regions.
