Two of the suspected masterminds of the October 2, 2015, Boko Haram bombings in Nyanya and Kuje, two satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that killed over 20 people and injured dozens of others, are already in police net. Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase made this known yesterday during his monthly strategic police meeting with senior police officers from the rank of commissioners of police where he revealed that the Force had also foiled another plot by some suspects, Abdulazeez Muhazab, 27, and Isiaka Salihu, 25, to carry out another bomb attack in the FCT. Arase revealed that the police recovered 12 primed home-made explosives concealed in soft drink cans, 28 pieces of electric detonators and huge quantities of explosive materials. The police boss explained that the suspects, who hail from Okene, Kogi State, were assisting the police in their investigations into their broad terror network, affirming that they would be prosecuted after investigation. Arase, who fielded questions from journalists, also said the police had apprehended five of the eight-man gang that participated in the abduction of elder statesman, Chief Olu Falae. According to the IGP, the suspects, Abubakar Auta, Idris Lawan, Umar Ibrahim, Masahudu Mohammed and Bello Tanu, operated a state-wide kidnap ring and were arrested at their hideouts in Niger, Ekiti and Ondo states. He listed items recovered from the suspects to include a Bajaj motorcycle used to transport their victim and N823, 990 cash which was part of the N5 million ransom paid to them. “All the arrested suspects have made confessional statements highlighting details of the operations and their individual roles, as I address you now, the suspects are being charged to court in Akure, Ondo State,” Arase said. The Department of State Services (DSS) had on Monday paraded two suspects, Babawuro Kato and Abdullahi Usman, in connection with Falae’s abduction. The suspects had claimed that the abduction was carried out by a three-man gang and that the mastermind, one Dantito, absconded with the N5m ransom. When asked if the suspects paraded by the DSS were part of the kidnap gang arrested by the police, Arase said that he had requested for the transfer of the two suspects from the DSS director-general, Lawal Daura. “I said it was an eight-man gang, and from the investigations we have carried out so far, those two that were paraded yesterday (Monday) by the State Security Service are part of that eight-man gang. I have written a letter to the DG, SSS, that we are arraigning the suspects and once they bring the two suspects, we can amend the charge,” Arase said. The IGP stated that the conference with senior police officers would review police preparations for the governorship elections scheduled for November 21 in Kogi State and December 5, 2015 in Bayelsa State. http://leadership.ng/news/467017/police-nab-abuja-bomb-blasts-masterminds

Was Chima Okoro among them?

Where are they? NPF should please stop deceiving us