Robbers defy curfew in Kaduna – Beat cleric to coma, raid house

Posted by admin Headlines, Kaduna, State News Thursday, May 19th, 2011

A businessman and Islamic scholar, had a close shave with death penultimate Saturday when a five-man gang of armed robbers invaded his storey residence behind Kaduna Polytechnic, Ungwan Sanusi in Kaduna, leaving him with broken arm and severe brain injury.

The 39-year-old Abubakar Abdullahi Goron Na Maye who sources say enjoys spiritual patronage of important personalities and prominent politicians and governors across the northern states, narrated his ordeal to Daily Sun.
He said at about 2:20 am while everyone was at home due to the imposed curfew that begins from 9pm to 5am in the state, he heard a strange sound forcing the main doors linking one of his four wives section of the apartment.

He said the criminals were shouting at his wives to show them where their husband is before he opened the door to his section after realizing the consequences of allowing the hoodlums to break in:
“I managed to contact the police on phone before opening the door, while I begged them not to harm anybody since I have promised to take them round the house to pick anything they so desire. They insisted that I must produce a said N6million I came with from Abuja. I said I don’t know anything about and continued to persuade them to take other valuables in the house and leave us in peace.

“That was when they descended on me, beating me mercilessly with iron bars and burt of the gun carried by one of them. The siren from a police signifying their arrival saved me as the hoodlums fled with jewelries, satellite receiver, handsets, cloths and other valuables including expensive performs all together worth over a million naira as they shout yawa!, yawa!!, yawa!!!.

“I was taken to the hospital in the morning where I stayed for one day before my discharge because of the crowd that kept trouping to greet me. One of the robbers who attacked me is very familiar and I suspected that he is the one that ‘hosted’ the rest of the gang who hide in the neighborhood to defy curfew.
“The police actually arrived in the middle of the operation, but my quarrel is why should they blast their siren as they approach the scene instead of laying ambush to catch them as they flee from the house?

“By the grace of Allah through the vigorous prayer warriors and myself, I swear that they must be caught dead or alive. If a religious scholar’s house can be successfully attacked and robbed despite all spiritual protections in the house, then it means that nobody is safe any more in this country. So, I have to show them the power of prayers to teach them a lesson.
“Already, the police have told me that they have made appreciable breakthrough and they are closing in on them. I am calling on security agencies to make effective use of the neighborhood watch to assist in identifying strangers which will be reported to the police for immediate action.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Aminu Lawal, said the blaring of siren “is an operational strategy to disorganize, scare or confuse criminals in a situation such as the one that happened at Mallam Abubakar’s house. It is not in a scene of crime that police lay ambush, at times we engage the armed robbers in an exchange of fire depending on the scenario at hand. We are, however, making progress in our investigations and I assure you, we shall get them all.”
In a related development, the police have confirmed the robbery of an ultra modern shopping complex H and H owned by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the former governor of the state which is situated opposite Leventis Stores, Central market in the heart of Kaduna.

About 40-armed robbers were reported to have invaded the three- storey building including the basement at about midnight when curfew was on, shooting sporadically as they tie all civilian securities before they broke through and robbed selected shops in the complex even when a security checkpoint is located just a stone throw to the scene of the crime.
The robbers were said to have broken into selected shops and carted away new handsets and unspecified amounts of money kept by the victims. Some shop owners who spoke on condition of anonymity expressed concern on the spate of insecurity which according to them, had degenerated to a point where about 40 armed bandits could operate near a security post without being detected.

“How can the same set of security operatives who harass innocent law abiding residents they see around even a minute after curfew time fail to detect or even hear the unusual sound in the area while the thieves were operating?
“It means that something is wrong and the authorities should make proper investigations to get to the root of the lapses, otherwise we are doomed because nobody can guarantee our safety anymore,” the shop owner said.

-Sunwp_posts