Police arrest ‘killers’ of Catholic seminarian

The police have announced the arrest of three suspects in connection with the killing of Nnadi Michael, a seminarian at the Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Kaduna.

He was killed after spending three weeks in captivity. The deceased was among the four students abducted when insurgents invaded the seminary located at Kakau along Kaduna-Abuja road in Chikun local government area of the state on January 9.

The police said the three suspected killers are part of a 19-man gang notorious for several atrocities in the country’s north-central region.

The names of the suspects are: Tukur Usman, aged 37; Shehu Bello, aged 40; and Mustapha Mohammed, aged 30, all residents of Igabi local government area of the state.

“Police Operatives have arrested a deadly criminal gang responsible for the kidnap and murder of a Catholic Seminarian, Nnadi Michael of the Catholic Good Shepherd Major Seminary at Gonin Gora, Kakau in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State,” the police said in a statement.

“Recall that, on January 9, 2020, the criminal gang stormed the Catholic Seminary and kidnapped four (4) seminarians, murdered one of them in cold blood and released the remaining three on 31st January, 2020, having obtained a ransom.

“The remains of the fourth Seminarian were found in a bush where abandoned. The suspects: Tukur Usman ‘m’ aged 37,father of 7, Shehu Bello ‘m’ aged 40, father of 5 and Mustapha Mohammed ‘m’ aged 30, father of 1, all of Igabi LGA of Kaduna State were arrested after several months of intensive and extensive intelligence-led operations by crack detectives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).”

The police added that the suspects were also behind the abduction of the daughters and wife of Phillip Ataga, a medical doctor based in Kaduna.

The doctor’s wife was also killed in captivity.

“Discreet investigations so far reveal that the arrested suspects are part of a 19-man gang that also carried out the kidnap of Dr Phillip Ataga’s wife and two daughters on January 24, 2020 at Juji Community in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State,” the statement read.

“The suspects, known to belong to a hybrid terrorist criminal network causing untold havoc in North-Central, Nigeria, have confessed to several other random operations along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway where they kidnapped, killed and robbed motorists, collecting ransom and valuables running into millions of naira.

“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni while reiterating that the Force will remain unrelenting in ensuring that crimes across the country are reduced to the barest minimum, assures the nation that the Force will not rest until the other members of the gang also responsible for the above crimes, but currently on the run, are apprehended and brought to book.”