Zamfara state police have paraded a bogus lawyer, a kidnapper and seven other suspects arrested for various crimes in the state.
In a statement signed by police spokesman in the state, Mohammed Shehu, said the alleged fake lawyer was arrested while representing a “client” in a court in Gusau, the state capital.
The suspect, Chukwuka Jude, was said to have represented clients in Kaura Namoda, Birnin Magaji, Shinkafi and Gusau local government areas in court at different times.
“Prior to his arrest, the suspect misled one of his victims who resides in Kuraje village in the Damba district of Gusau LGA, by representing the victim in Sharia High Court III Gusau as a lawyer, where he received the sum of N100,000 for the service fees of which he received N23,000 as partial payment.
“To further support the accusation, the suspect, in an attempt to escape arrest and prosecution, offered the sum of three hundred thousand naira (N300,000) as (a) bribe to our judicial service police officer, who refused. instantly the offer,” added Mr. Shehu.
He said the items recovered from the suspect were a fake plastic ID, a stamp and letterhead bearing his camera titled JN Monyei & Co. Chamber.
The statement added that an alleged kidnapper, Saminu Abubakar, also paraded. He was handed over to command by the State Security Service State Command.
Abubakar was arrested with N479,400 in cash, a Samsung tablet, voter card and four (4) different vehicle license plate numbers, Tecno Spark mobile phone and Tecno mobile phone keyboard.
“The suspect, while undergoing questioning, confessed that, at some point in 2019, he and his other gang members now at large conspired and planned the kidnapping of the victim from his home located in the Gada Biyu area, Gusau, in which the sum of seven million naira (N7,000,000) was paid as a ransom before he was released.
“He further confessed that, of the ransom paid, he was given N530,000 as his own share. A cash sum of four hundred and seventy-nine thousand four hundred naira (N479,400) was recovered from him, along with other evidence mentioned above. A low-key investigation is underway aimed at arresting other fleeing suspects before they are charged in court for trial,” the statement said.
“Others arrested were a Hamza Lawal for leading nine other gang members to kill an Aliyu Danbala in Tsafe market.”
The remaining suspects paraded “specializing in criminal conspiracy, motor vehicle theft and receiving stolen property in the Gummi local government area of the state. They were Hamza Abubakar, Sani Abubakar, Babangida Tukur, Ibrahim Mohammed, Mannir Mohammed, Bashar Dalhatu and Umma Kusari.
“The vehicle recovered in his possession includes: a black Toyota Corolla, a red Toyota Corolla and N500,000 as proceeds of crime.”
