The 33-year-old alleged kidnap
kingpin, Alhaji Hamisu Wadume, has continued to sing like bird about his
alleged criminal activities, this was even as the army hierarchy continues to
fret and seethed over his continual confession.
In his latest confession, Wadume
revealed how he met the army captain and how he started his arm running
business. He also described himself as a political thug, but refused to admit
to being a kidnapper.
According to Wadume, he met Captain
Balarabe six months ago, after the officer was posted to Ibi Town.
Wadume said: “Before then, I wasn’t
close to any army senior officer. When Balarabe was posted to Ibi Town, he went
to pay a visit to the Seriki of Ibi Town. The Seriki invited me as the Youth Leader
to meet the new army commander in town. I gave the captain N30,000 cash on that
day. Three weeks later, I went to him again and gave him another N50,000. I started fueling army patrol vehicles
whenever they are going on patrol. I do this on every market day. There was
even a time I also sent N200,000 to the captain bank account.”
Speaking about his arm running
business, Wadume said that he started the business in 2018. He was introduced
into the business by his friend, Babaginda Musa. Incidentally, the said
Musa, just like Wadume, was a fish
trader. Musa advised him to go into arm business.
Wadume said: “Babaginda sold two AK-47
rifles to me at the rate N650,000. He bought two other K2 rifles for me at N550,000.
I bought four rifles at the rate of N2.4million. I later bought an additional
five AK-47rifles from Babaginda and Galadima Bakar at the rate of N600,000 each.
I paid the sum of N3million. I bought these rifles a day after the Presidential
Elections. I also bought three boxes of ammunition from Galadima and Babaginda
at the rate of N400,000. I paid N1.2million. I then sold the three boxes of
ammunition at the rate of N480,000 each to Yakubu Yan-Maza and four AK-47
rifles at the rate N760,000 each.
“He paid me N1.4million for the
ammunition. He first paid N3million for the rifles and later gave me money in
cash. I made a profit of N880,000 as my profit. Yan-Maza told me that he sold
the rifles and ammunition he bought from me to some Fulani bandits inside the
forest. I also bought additional AK-47 rifles from Babaginda and gave two
rifles to Dantane Bashir. The police have recovered four of my rifles, it
remain those with Bashir.
Mr.
Auwal Balla, (38), one of the suspects arrested with Wadume, introduced
himself as a commercial cyclist. operating at Alaba Rago Market in Lagos State.
Auwal, who described himself as
Wadume older brother, said: “I knew my brother to be a fish farmer, a
transporter and a political thug. I never knew that my brother was into
kidnapping until the police came looking for him. After my brother was rescued
from the IRT operatives by the soldiers, he called and asked me to help in hiding
all his rifles.”
Auwal further said: “I asked what he
was doing with all those rifles, he said he used them for politics. I called
Uban Delu, my step-brother and asked him to go to where Wadume kept his rifles
and move them to different place. I came to Abuja because some people suggested
that we should get the House of Representative member, representing our area to
assist us in this matter. The people, who were to lead me to the Honourable member
asked me to come to Abuja. While I was in Abuja, one of my cousins, Kawu,
called and suggested that we should get some media men to write favourable
stories for Wadume, that it would change people’s perception of him.
“I sold the idea to my younger
brother and he bought it. I then asked Kawu to send me the account number of
the media company. I forwarded it to Wadume, and he credited the company. I was
at Aya area of Abuja when the police came and arrested. I confessed that I have
been in constant communication with my brother since he was rescued from the
police. I also knew that he was in my uncle’s house in Kano State. I have
always been suspicious of my brother because he was spending too much money. When
I asked him how come his business was giving him so much money, he asked me to
relax, that he was a political thug and was making big money from politicians.
It was when he was arrested and rescued that I knew that my brother must have
been into kidnapping. “
Wadume’s uncle, Rayyanu Abdul, 46, a
civil servant working with Kano State Senior Secondary School Management Board
in Kano, recounted how Wadume was arrested in his residence.
Abdul, said that all he knew about
Wadume’s business was that he was a fish farmer, car dealer and cattle rearer.
He said: “I didn’t know that my
nephew was into kidnapping or any other crime. Three days after the killing of
the policemen by the soldiers, I heard on radio that the police were looking
for a wanted kidnapper named Alhaji Hamisu Balla aka Wadume. That was when I
knew that it was my younger brother that was at the middle of the storm. I was
shocked and then Wadume elder brother, Auwal, called and asked if I heard what
happened to Wadume, and I said yes. Later Wadume himself called; he said that
he was coming to my house. I asked him to stop at a filling station close to my
house. When he got there, I went to pick him. I discovered that Wadume had an injury
on his thing. I brought a doctor, who treated him. Wadume gave me the sum of
N270,000 to stock the house with enough foodstuffs. My wife was the person
preparing food for him. He takes tea in the morning, after he eats rice and by
night he takes tuwo.”
Abdul, who noted that Wadume had
been kind to him, recalled: “ In the year 2017, I was poisoned and Wadume
and his brother came to visit me in a rented apartment, where I was living with
my family. They asked if I had a house, I told them that I had building, just
at its foundation. I took Wadume to the site. He saw what I had done and
promised to complete it for me. Early this year, he completed and furnished it.
The building is a three bedroom apartment. When he came with his injury, I gave
him my room and moved into my wife’s room. He was staying alone in his room.
“I prayed regularly for him, but
last Monday, the police came and arrested me. They arrested me through my
nephew Auwul. I took the police to my house, where Wadume was arrested. I knew
I have committed a crime by protecting a fugitive, but I hope the government
would forgive me.”
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