DPO Rejects N1M Bribe From Zamfara Bandit After Arrest In Kaduna Hotel

The Kaduna Divisional Police Officer (DPO) has rejected a bribe of N1 million offered to him by a suspected bandit, Bello Muhammad, after he was apprehended in a hotel in the state.

Spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, ASP Mansir Hassan, who disclosed this to journalists said that the arrest was made on January 19, 2024.

He further disclosed that the arrested bandit reportedly offered the bribe out of the ransom recovered from him by the police at a hotel in the Tafa community.

“The divisional headquarters received credible information regarding the presence of the suspected person at Easyway hotel in Tafa town. Their operatives, led by the Divisional Police Officer, stormed the hotel and arrested a certain 28-year-old Bello Muhammad from Zamfara State and recovered the sum of N2,350,000:00, suspected to be proceeds of kidnapping,” he said.

During the course of the investigation, the suspect admitted to being a kidnapper who operates with his gang around the Kagarko forest in Kaduna.

ASP Mansir said the aforementioned sum is the suspect’s share of a ransom collected, adding that a check on his mobile phone corroborated the suspect’s confession, as pictures of him brandishing an AK47 rifle in a forest were seen.

"The said suspect, Bello Muhammad, offered a one million naira bribe to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to stop him from furthering the investigation, which the police officer forthwith rejected. The investigation is still ongoing as the suspect is assisting the police with vital information,” he said.

The Commissioner of Police for the Kaduna State Command, CP A.D. Ali, while commending the Tafa Division’s operatives, also urged them and others not to dwindle but to increase the tempo until crimes and criminality are reduced to the barest minimum in Kaduna State and Nigeria in general..

The CP further tasked all hoteliers, recreation, and leisure service operators in the state to always scrutinize the identity of their customers to avoid providing criminals with a safe haven.