"Kidnap kingpin made mistake taking refuge in Kano" - Ganduje

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state has said that the kidnap kingpin, Hamisu Bala Wadume, made a grievous mistake by taking criminal refuge in the state. The governor made the statement while speaking with journalists in Yola, the Adamawa state capital, on Sunday, September 1, The Guardian reports.

The security mechanism put in place could not allow kidnappers to operate in Kano state.

According to him, no kidnapper will enter Kano state and spend one week without being apprehended by security agents due to the security network.

The governor noted that the kidnap kingpin that abducted Sarkin Magaji Daura from Katsina state was arrested in Kano. He also said that the ring-leader of the gang that attacked the convoy of Nasarawa state governor where four people were killed was arrested in Kano. The governor said that criminals are facing hard times in Kano state due to the fact that the state government has strengthened institutions and made education the priority of government. He, however, noted that security challenges in the country cannot be solved by security operatives alone.

Ganduje said that local residents should be incorporated to help in providing intelligence gathering and other important information. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Nigeria Police Force disclosed that a suspected kidnap kingpin in Taraba state, Hamisu Bala Wadume, had finally been rearrested by its operatives. The disclosure was made on Tuesday, August 20, by the police spokesperson, Frank Mba, who said Wadume was rearrested in his hideout at Layin Mai Allo Hotoro area of Kano state in the late hours of Monday, August 19.

When Wadume was first arrested, he was being driven to Jalingo by the police team when soldiers opened fire on them along Ibi-Wukari road, killing three police officers and a civilian. The suspect had been on the police radar for a while. His first arrest came after he had reportedly collected N100 million in ransom.