Hashiru Marazu Baku, the gang leader suspected of killing a retired army general in Abuja, has been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command police operatives.
The arrest took place at the Chile Hotel in Kano State on Wednesday. FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth C. Igweh, announced the development on Monday while parading the suspects.
Igweh noted that a follow-up operation on July 19, 2024, led to the recovery of the late Brigadier General’s service pistol and two rounds of 9mm live ammunition in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, at about 2 am.
The police statement detailed the investigation, explaining that suspects had previously been arrested on June 23, 2024, for the murder of retired Brigadier General Uwen Harold at his residence on June 21, 2024, during which his service pistol and ammunition were stolen.
“Police operatives from Utako Division, in a covert operation led by CSP Victor Godfrey, trailed and apprehended Hashiru Marazu Baku at Chile Hotel in Kano on July 17, 2024,” the statement read. “In a follow-up operation on July 19, 2024, the late Brigadier General’s service pistol was recovered with two rounds of 9mm live ammunition in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, at about 2 am.”
Additional items recovered from the suspect’s residence included a wristwatch belonging to the late Brigadier General’s wife, other jewelry, and seventy-nine bottles of 100ml codeine. The statement also revealed that Baku had previously been arrested for armed robbery in 2022, prosecuted, and sentenced to Kuje Correctional Facility, from which he escaped during a jailbreak on May 22, 2022.
The murder occurred when robbers attacked Sunshine Homes estate in the Lokogoma area of Abuja, killing Brigadier General Udokwere.