Operatives of the Bauchi State Police Command have arrested two suspects, Suleiman Habibu, 25, and Atiku Mohammed, 30, over alleged phone theft.
The duo, who reside in the Jahun area of the Bauchi metropolis, were also accused of offering bribe to a police officer to evade arrest.
In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday, the spokesman of the Command, SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, stated that the suspects were arrested during a visibility routine patrol behind the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium and subsequently handed over to detectives attached to ‘C’ Divisional Police Headquarters for questioning.
According to Wakil, a preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects had stolen nine mobile phones found in their possession from different locations in Gombe State.
He further disclosed that detectives also recovered from the suspects, dried leaves believed to be Indian hemp, as well as the sum of seventy-eight thousand Naira (N78,000) offered as a bribe to compromise the investigation, which was rejected by the investigating officer.
In another incident on February 8, 2024, the operatives of the Command were said to have received a distress call reporting that unknown assailants had stabbed and injured a motorcycle owner multiple times, stealing his motorcycle, along Ningi Road, Bauchi.
Wakil revealed that upon receiving the call, a patrol team was dispatched to the scene, and the victim was promptly taken to Specialist Hospital Bauchi for treatment and later discharged.
He added that after thorough investigation and intelligence gathering, the suspect, Abdullahi Mohammed, a resident of Bayan Banki in Mangu LGA of Plateau State, was arrested within an hour, and the stolen motorcycle was recovered.
The suspect was said to have confessed to the crime and will be charged accordingly upon completion of the investigation.
Police arrest suspected motorcycle thieves, phone snatchers in Bauchi
