Abuja – Police have arrested scores of armed people, allegedly operating under the influence of drugs, after their group had embarked on a "reign of terror" in northeastern Nigeria.
Police alleges politicians are using these elements to destabilise peace and settle political scores.
“It has come to our knowledge that some self-centred politicians have perfected plans to disrupt the relative peace in the state in order to achieve their selfish political aggrandisement,” said Garba Baba Umar, the Bauchi State police commissioner.
He said the group known as Sara-Suka used weapons such as machetes, knives and cutlasses to intimidate, assault and even kill their perceived rivals in the state, including innocent citizens.
They also are allegedly engaged in other forms of criminal activities such as abduction, rape, extortion and housebreaking, thereby causing serious security threats in Bauchi.
Umar said the police command had reviewed its crime prevention strategies and embarked on intensive patrol and raiding of black spots, flash points and other criminal hideouts in order to "nip in the bud all forms of thuggery, crime and criminality".
“These strategies started yielding positive results as during the week under review the command has arrested over 150 suspected Sara-Suka members from various black spots within the state.”
Items including vulcanising solutions, dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and motorcycles suspected to have been stolen were recovered.