The Police in Adamawa State have arrested 48 suspected members of a notorious gang of young men called Shilla Boys.

The boys are reputed for violent stealing of personal effects especially around the metropolitan local government areas of Yola North, Yola South and Girei.

The 48 Shilla Boys were paraded on day alongside 23 other suspects by the state Police Commissioner Audu Madaki, who said the 48 were picked up for “criminal conspiracy and being in possession of hard drugs, public nuisance and armed robbery.”

Shilla Boys, who were on rampage during much of the tenure of the immediate past governor, Jibrilla Bindow, went underground in the last half of last year on the coming of incumbent Governor Ahmed Fintiri but have recently been on the upsurge.

The Commissioner of Police said during a press briefing that police anti-crime efforts led to the arrest of many of the young elements.

Other suspects paraded included five men who, with six others at large, allegedly kidnapped five people in three different parts of the state late last year and collected a total of N3.8 million as ransom.

The Police Commissioner said 11 self-confessed kidnappers renounced the evil practices, saying that they “surrendered and submitted themselves to the state chairman of Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria who in turn brought them before the police.”

The CP said the 11 repentant kidnappers confessed that they had been perpetrating criminal activities but decided to desist from such activities.

Also paraded on Tuesday at the state police command headquarters in Yola were four rape suspects: Mauro Yahaya, 40, Musa Gambo, 20, Umar Adamu, 48, and Julde Jatau, 25.

Equally paraded was one Sgt Abdulrazakq Dahiru for allegedly aiding and abetting crime by supplying kidnappers with ammunition.

Exhibits recovered from all the suspects included 13 AK 47 rifles, 761 rounds of life ammunition, 18 magazines, five locally made pistols, 12 cutlasses, and large quantities of hard drugs. (The Nation