Photos: Police parade vicious gang that slaughtered 19 villagers, 2 officers in Niger State

Nigerian police on Thursday,  paraded the 13 culprits that slaughtered 19 villagers and two policemen in Alawa, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

Briefing newsmen at the Command Headquarters in Minna,  Police spokesman, Jimoh Ibrahim said the gang confessed and admitted to have been terrorizing travelers and responsible for several attacks and killings in villages and communities along the Minna-Bida-Birnin Gwari-Funtua and Tegina-Kaduna highways and also responsible for attack on Alawa Police Post, where the two  policemen were killed late last year.

"The gang confessed to have been responsible for the kidnap and slaughtering of seven (7) persons from a mosque at Kabata town under Rafin LGA of Niger State late last year. They also admitted to be responsible for the attack on a Police Post at Alawa town in Shiroro LGA of Niger State where the Police Post was burnt down and two Policemen who were in a team on a rescue mission of some kidnapped victims were ambushed and killed by this Militia gang." said Jimoh.

The culprits were arrested by a Special Tactical Squad under Operation Absolute Sanity, set up by the Inspector General of Police.

"The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris, concerned with the loss of innocent lives in the towns, villages and communities along the Minna-Bida-Birnin Gwari-Funtua and Tegina-Kaduna highways, deployed personnel of the Special Tactical Squad attached to Operation Absolute Sanity and personnel of Niger State Police Command under the supervision of the Commissioner of Police, Niger State to restore law and order in the communities mentioned and arrest the perpetrators," he said.

"Consequent on this directive, the joint team moved in and raided all the identified criminal camps, kidnappers’ dens and hideouts in the Forest in Birnin-Gwari, Tegina, Alawa and Kabata town in Niger State. The operations that lasted several days and intense exchange of fire between the Police Joint Team and this vicious militia/kidnap for ransom gang resulted in the arrest of Thirteen (13) above mentioned suspects and recovery of the cache of prohibited arms and ammunition"

Gang leader Lawal Maisaje a.k.a Lawal Kwali and his second in command Zakairu Mamman, during interrogation confessed that they have slaughtered more than nineteen innocent people in the mentioned villages which include a father and his son after collection of ransom from most of the victims ranging from One Million Naira to Three Million Naira.

Lawal Kwali said he was not commissioned to kidnap and kill anybody.

"I killed them just like that. What my boys did, the people they killed, was done under my directive. I was not paid or commissioned for their kidnap of killing. I did it and gave the orders out of my own discretion, " he said.

Investigation is being intensified to arrest other gang members still at large. The suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation. 

Below are names of the culprits and items recovered:

1. Lawal Maisaje a.k.a Lawal Kwali ‘M’34YRS – Vicious Kingpin and Militia Leader

2:  Zakairu Mamman ‘M’ 40YRS (The Chief Slaughter of the militia)

3: Bitrus Yohanna ‘M’ 40YRS

4: Ibrahim Makeri ‘M’ 35YRS
Sule Kautoma ‘M’ 34YRS

5: Ayuba Waya ‘M’ 25YRS

6: Bako Makeri ‘M’ 42YRS

7: Sale Bala ‘M’ 30YRS

8: Abbas Mazadu ‘M’ 30YRS

9: Jibrin Usman ‘M’ 40YRS

10: Musa Akawu ‘M’ 35YRS

11: Suleman Bawa ‘M’23YRS

12: Ismail Yususf ‘M’25YRS