NIGERIA POLICE ARREST 400 SHI’ITES IN ABUJA
He said the suspects were arrested with dangerous weapons explaining that police recovered 31 bottles of petrol bombs and other dangerous weapons brought in the territory by them, adding that among the suspects was their “First Aider”, one Salahuddeen Ahmad, male, 23, who hails from Illela Local Government of Sokoto State.
Penpushing reports that, the police boss said all the suspects would be arraigned upon conclusion of investigation, stressing that arrest of the sect members was part of the continuous efforts of the command to provide residents of the territory with adequate security, protect lives and property and prevent breakdown of law and order.
The Commissioner emphasized, “It is for the purpose of causing mayhem and attack on innocent citizens, including law enforcement agents deployed to protect lives and property, pointing out that members of the group without provocation of any sort went on rampage during a protest and burnt down a police vehicle.
He recalled that the incident occurred on Tuesday adding that the sect burnt a Police Rapid Response Squad (RRS) patrol vehicle deployed at Ademola Adetokumbo Crescent,explaining further that at 12.30 p.m., operatives on stop-and-search duty along Tipper Garage area, intercepted and arrested one Mustapha Abdullahi, male, 20, of Ungwan Gwari, Suleja, with 18 bottles of petrol bombs concealed in a traveling bag.
The police chieftain stated, “to smuggle himself and the patrol bombs into the city, he disguised as a passenger and boarded a taxi with other unsuspecting passengers’, explaining that Abdullahi ran out of luck when vigilant policemen on duty at the point “upon reasonable suspicion’’ intercepted the cab and conducted a search on the only bag in the car and found the improvised bombs.
The Commissioner said the suspect was immediately arrested, adding that he would be arraigned at the end of investigation. He said one Abdullahi Umar, 22, was also nabbed with a bag containing 13 well packaged bottles of petrol bomb.
His words, “during investigation, the suspect confessed that he arrived Suleja from Sokoto State on Sunday to join other members of their sect for protest. He also confessed that he was ferrying the patrol bomb to FCT to confront law enforcement agents”, adding that one lighter was also recovered from the suspect, and that he would also be arraigned soon.
Penpushing reports that, one of the suspects, Mustapha Abdullahi, while speaking with journalists said the bottles contained petrol, arguing that at the time of his arrest, h didn’t do anything with the bottles of petrol.
Hear him, “I came to Abuja to use it to break stone but today something happened in Abuja and they blocked me on the road and arrested me,” ,just as he admitted that the police recovered 18 bottles of the petrol bombs from him, and also admitted that “I am a member of the Shi’ite,’.
Similarly, another suspect, Abdullahi Umar,told journalists that, “I don’t have any mission, I just wanted to defend myself with it.On Saturday at Zuba, soldiers came and started shooting us, we didn’t do anything to them.”
He added further, “if they start shooting us, I will just put it on the grass then I will put fire on the grass so that our brothers will get way to escape.I came into Abuja from Sokoto.’’
