The Kano State Police Command have returned 222 recovered mobile phones and other stolen items to their owners. The return followed an operation that led to the arrest of a suspect.

The handover brought relief to four business owners who had lost goods worth a huge sum after their shops were broken into at one of the busiest phone markets in Kano.

The items were handed over on Thursday to four business owners at City Centre Plaza, Farm Centre GSM Market, Kano. The handover took place at the command headquarters in Bompai.

The ceremony was attended by senior police officers, market leaders and representatives of the affected traders, who came to receive their recovered property.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. He said the recovery followed the arrest of a suspect by operatives of the Farm Centre Police Division. He said the officers acted swiftly after the theft was reported and worked closely with the plaza’s security team to track down the suspect and recover the stolen goods.

The handover was witnessed by market leaders, shop owners, and other stakeholders. Many of those present commended the police for the prompt action. They said the recovery would restore confidence among traders in the market and encourage them to continue reporting criminal activities to the police without fear.

The items were recovered following the swift arrest of the suspect and the successful recovery operation by officers of Farm Centre Division. The police said the suspect was sighted loitering inside the plaza with an iron saw and a screwdriver in his possession. He was arrested after he could not give a satisfactory explanation for his presence. During investigation, the police said the suspect confessed to breaking into the four shops and stealing the items.

The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, congratulated the officers. He described the handover as evidence of the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property. He said it also shows the command is committed to ensuring that victims of crime get justice. He commended the officers for their professionalism, dedication and swift response, and he assured traders that the police would continue to work to keep markets and other business areas safe.

The recovered items include one Lenovo laptop, one Samsung tablet, 95 keypad phones, 127 Android phones, one sound system, one inverter, 17 used Android screens, one solar controller, 29 power banks, 15 wireless ear pods, 130 varieties of phone accessories, and cash of N350,000. The police said all the items were recovered from the suspect and that he would be charged to court upon the completion of investigation.