The Yobe State Police Command has arrested four individuals suspected of committing various crimes across the state.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, revealed that one of the suspects is a serial rapist.
The 19-year-old, Dahiru Ali, reportedly targeted young children by luring them with sweets.
“The Potiskum Divisional Police Headquarters arrested Dahiru Ali, 19, of Hayin Kwari for the alleged defilement of a three-year-old girl in the Mutawassada area of Potiskum.
“Further investigation revealed that the suspect had earlier committed a similar offence against another three-year-old girl in the same neighbourhood but in a different house.
“The suspect, who worked as a domestic help, lured the children to a secluded location with sweets and milk, where he molested them. He has confessed to the crime, and investigation is ongoing,” the statement said.
In a separate case, the Command reported that operatives from A Division Police Headquarters, Damaturu, arrested Ibrahim Alhaji Ahmadu, 24, of Dusuwa Village, Kalallawa area of Damaturu, after he trespassed on a farmer’s land.
“The suspect was arrested through a well-coordinated sting operation, and a shotgun with live ammunition was recovered from him,” the Police Command said, noting that the herder had allegedly threatened the farmer with a gun when confronted.
Additionally, two other suspects remain in custody for attacking police operatives in Nguru, an act described by the Command as an attack on constituted authority.
Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ado, condemned the acts of child defilement, illegal possession of firearms, and the unprovoked assault on law enforcement officers.
He reaffirmed the Command’s zero-tolerance approach to crime, warning offenders to desist or face decisive action, while urging parents and guardians to closely monitor their children to protect them from predators.
