THE TRUE STORY ABOUT THE ARREST OF KACHALLA MAMMAN DANDOLO, A DANGEROUS BANDIT TERRORIZING KOGI STATE
It is important to set the record straight after the Kwara State Command of the Nigerian Police Force released a statement on the arrest of a notorious bandit, Kachalla Mamman Dandolo popularly known as “Dandolo”.
It is expedient to state as a fact that the bandit was a subject of security investigations, surveillance and coordinated operations by the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army and other security agencies as he was terrorizing both Yagba East and Yagba West Local Government Area of the State.
He was believed to be the kingpin of kidnapping and other criminal activities in the area, including the gruesome murder of some victims in his custody.
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His dangerous activities elicited several security operations to crackdown on him and get him arrested to face justice for his heinous acts.
To this end, a manhunt was launched in Kogi State by security agencies to get him apprehended. When the heat was intense on him, he moved to Yagba West Local Government Area from Yagba East. The Kogi State security agencies also zero down on him in Yagba West and he escaped to Kwara State where Kogi security agents trailed him, information provided and he was finally arrested in a Hotel in Pategi.
As it is in security circles, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police moved to Kwara State for repatriation to Kogi State. But to our dismay, this process has been stalled by the Kwara State Police Command, despite some personal contacts and correspondences between the Kogi State Police Command and it’s Kwara State counterpart. The next we saw was
the Kwara police Command going to press in order to justify holding the bandit.
Kachalla Mamman Dandolo committed the crimes he committed within the Kogi judicial jurisdiction. The victims of his criminal activities are Kogites and facilitated his arrest with critical information provided to Police in Pategi.
It is curious to note that the Kwara State Police Command that has no information about the antecedent of the bandit and which doesn’t even know details of his atrocities are now desperate to be the one to prosecute him. Surprisingly, he was sent to Court within 48 Hours of arrest with no evidence to prosecute him just because the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command personally signed a letter requesting for his release.
The agitation in Kogi State now is that there was a grand but dangerous plan to set the criminal free at all cost.
This will be counterproductive and dangerous to Kogi State. It will also dampen the morale of security agencies in the state, especially the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army if their efforts at ensuring the apprehending the notorious bandit are wasted.
To this end, we call on the Inspector General of Police to call on the Kwara State Police Command to release the suspect to the Kogi State Police Command for further investigations and prosecution. This remains the position of the Kogi State Government.
We also wish to assure the people of Kogi State that justice will be done and that the criminal will have his day in court to account for his criminal activities in Kogi State.
Commander Jerry Omodara FSS MSS MSc (Rtd)
State Security Adviser, Kogi State
