From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Police command has arrested Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, the Village Head of Soko village in Gimi District of Makarfi Local Government area of Kaduna state and seven others for vandalisation of rail tracks at Gimi village.
Parading the suspects at the Kaduna State police command yesterday, the Commissioner of Police, Umaru Shehu, said the act of the vandals is painful and shameful, because one of them, the first suspect, is a traditional ruler, Mai Ungwa Suku, who is the coordinator of the vandalization.
“The Village Head is also a staff of the Nigeria Railway Corporation and he was able to mobilize men of evil mind like himself to engage the cutting the rail tracks and shifted the tracks to Kaduna for sale.
“However, on the 24th of March, 2014 a patrol team attached to Makarfi police station on routine patrol along Gimi village intercepted a Bedford truck with registration Number XE 144 BNG conveying 27 pieces of rail tracks, two gas cylinders, some breaking implements and 43 persons.
“During investigation it was discovered pieces of rail track vandalized along Zaria-Kano via Gimi village. Further investigation showed that four of the suspects are staff of Railway Corporation, Zaria office, while their conspirators one Nuhu Ibrahim and Mukhtar Rabiu of Panteka market Kaduna, are also in the police net,” he said.
Police Commissioner, Shehu, also paraded one Babangida Ibrahim, 27, a dismissed soldier, who in company of one Umar Musa, specialized in snatching vehicles at gunpoint. Seven exotic vehicles were also recovered from them.
The dismissed soldier, who claimed to have served in the army for six years, said he was dismissed from the army for raping his boss wife which led him to be court martialled and sent packing from the army.
He also confessed that his mother gave him charms to use on people to fall asleep and which he has used on drivers, wealthy people and okada riders, in order to deprive them of their properties, while they are fast asleep.
Babagida Ibrahim who said after his dismissal he finally went into car snatching and he was doing fine before he was finally nabbed by the police.
