By Ismail Auwal
Zamfara State Police Command paraded a fake lawyer, a kidnapper, and seven others in the state.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Muhammad Shehu, the states’ command spokesperson.
He stated that the suspected imposter lawyer was arrested while appearing in court for a ‘client’ in Gusau, the state capital.
The suspect identified as Chukwuka Jude was said to have represented clients in courts in Kaura Namoda, Birnin Magaji, Shinkafi, and Gusau local government areas at various times.
“Prior to his arrest, the suspect deceived one of his victims who resides in Kuraje village under Damba District of Gusau LGA, by representing the victim at Higher Sharia Court III Gusau as a counsel, where he charged the sum of N100,000 for the service fees out of which he collected N23,000 as part payment.”
“To further support the allegation, the suspect, in a bid to escape arrest and prosecution, offered the sum of three hundred thousand naira (N300,000) as (a) bribe to our court duty police officer, who instantly rejected the offer,” Shehu added.
He stated that the suspect was found with a fake plastic ID, a stamp, and letterheads bearing his chamber’s name, J.N Monyei & Co. Chamber.
A suspected kidnapper, Saminu Abubakar, was also paraded, according to the statement. The State Security Service’s State Command handed him over to the command.
Abubakar was apprehended in possession of N479,400 in cash, a Samsung tablet, a Voter’s Card, four (4) different vehicle plate numbers, a Tecno Spark mobile phone, and a Tecno mobile phone keypad.
“The suspect while undergoing interrogation confessed that, sometime in 2019, himself and his other gang members now at large conspired and masterminded the kidnapping of the victim at his house located at Gada Biyu Area, Gusau, in which the sum of seven million naira (N7,000,000) was paid as ransom before he regained freedom.”
“He further confessed that, out of the ransom paid, he was given N530,000 as his own share. The cash sum of four hundred and seventy nine thousand, four hundred naira (N479,400) was recovered from him, with other exhibits as mentioned above. Discreet investigation is in progress aimed at arresting other fleeing suspects before being charged to Court for prosecution,” the statement noted.
“Others arrested were one Hamza Lawal for leading nine other gang members to kill one Aliyu Danbala in Tsafe market.”
The remaining suspects paraded “specialised in criminal conspiracy, theft of motor vehicle and receiving of stolen property in Gummi local government area of the state. They were Hamza Abubakar, Sani Abubakar, Babangida Tukur, Ibrahim Mohammed, Mannir Mohammed, Bashar Dalhatu and Umma Kusari
“Vehicle recovered in their possession include: Toyota Corolla Black in colour, Toyota Corolla Red in colour and N500,000 as proceed of crime.”
