Yobe State Police Command has arrested a suspected drug trafficker and an alleged kidnapping boss in separate operations targeting organised crime across the state.
Officers from Yindiski Division in Potiskum raided what they believed was a drug storage facility on 17 July 2026 following tip-offs about criminal activity. The team nabbed Alhaji Abbas, 35, from Danchuwa Village in Potiskum Local Government Area during the operation.
Police recovered eight cartons of assorted illegal drugs, including Tramadol and Exzol tablets, plus one-and-a-half Ghana-Must-Go bags packed with more of the same substances. Officers also seized ₦835,500 in cash suspected to be drug sale proceeds.
The raid turned violent when other gang members tried to rescue Abbas, Dungus Abdulkarim, the Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed on Saturday in Damaturu. Police held their ground but several officers suffered minor wounds and a vehicle took damage in the clash.
Abbas is now helping detectives as they hunt for his associates who escaped the scene. The injured officers received hospital treatment and have since recovered.
In a second operation two days earlier, detectives arrested Saidu Mohammed, 40, from Jalam Village in Bauchi State on 15 July. Mohammed sits atop the police's wanted list as a suspected kidnapping ringleader and armed robber.
A victim filed a complaint on 11 July after receiving a threatening call the previous day demanding ₦10 million, according to investigators. The caller warned he would kill the man if the money didn't come through.
Detectives launched an investigation and tracked Mohammed down quickly. Initial findings suggest he ran kidnapping and robbery rings across Bauchi, Yobe, and Gombe states.
Police are still pursuing other members of his criminal network. Usman Kanfani Jibrin, Yobe's Police Commissioner, praised the officers for their work and pledged the command would keep attacking drug gangs and kidnappers to protect citizens.
