The Nigeria Police Force says it has arrested three suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate and recovered ten stolen vehicles in Kaduna State.
In a statement, the police disclosed that operatives of the Force Intelligence Department – Special Tactical Squad carried out the operation, leading to the arrest of the suspects identified as Abubakar Musa (36), Hassan Umar (30), and Joshua Raphael (20) on March 16, 2026.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the alleged ringleader, Abubakar Musa, is a dismissed corporal of the Nigerian Army who reportedly posed as a serving soldier to avoid detection while carrying out criminal activities.
According to the police, the group specialised in stealing vehicles and altering or removing registration details to conceal their identities and ownership of the cars.
The operation led to the recovery of ten vehicles of different brands, including Toyota Hilux trucks, Toyota Corolla cars, a Pontiac Vibe GT, a Honda vehicle, a Lexus car, and a Toyota RAV4 SUV, some of which were found without registration numbers.
The police added that efforts are ongoing to track down other fleeing members of the syndicate and recover more stolen items.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism and reaffirmed the force’s commitment to tackling crime and safeguarding lives and property.