Officers of the Zamfara State Police Command have neutralised one suspected terrorist and arrested six other suspects for banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling.
While parading the suspects at the state Police command Headquarters in Gusau, Zamfara State capital on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the command, SP Mohammed Shehu, said the police recovered two AK-47 rifles, two magazines, 104 rounds of live ammunition, a bunch of charms as well as a sack containing clothes with groundnuts covering live ammunitions.
Shehu said “On 1st January 2023, Police Tactical operatives while on confidence building patrol along Gusau – Magami – Dansadau Road received a distress call about bandits planning to block the road and attack commuters and by extension some villages. The Police operatives mobilized to the locations and engaged the bandits in a serious gun battle.
“Luckily enough, one of the bandits was neutralised and others were repelled by the superior firepower of the Police operatives, as such they retreated back to the forest with possible gunshot wounds. Two AK-47 rifles, two magazines, 104 rounds of live ammunition, and a bunch of charms belonging to the bandits were recovered at the scene.”
The Police tactical operatives also arrested one of the gang members of a notorious terrorist kingpin Halilu Kachalla named Musbahu Aminu, 30, who is a native of Maradun Local Government Area of the State.
He had confessed to having participated in several kidnappings and cattle rustling where they collected millions of naira from their victims’ relations as ransom.
“On 1st January 2023 at about 13:30 hours, the police tactical operatives while on confidence building patrol/stop and search arrested the above-mentioned suspect. The suspect while undergoing a discreet investigation confessed to being a gang member of bandit kingpin Halilu Kachalla who operates in many areas in Zamfara and other neighboring states,” he added.
The police operatives apprehended another suspected terrorist identified as Abu Umaru of Doka village in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State
In the course of the investigation, he confessed to the recent operation which they carried out on 1st January 2023 where they blocked Gusau- Tsafe Highway by Yandoto Community and intercepted two vehicles, and kidnapped nine passengers including three women.
“On 2nd January 2023 at about 12:15 hours, Police tactical operatives deployed along Gusau-Tsafe Road on rigorous patrol arrested the above-mentioned suspect on a motorcycle coming out of the forest. In the course of the investigation, the suspect confessed to belonging to a gang of bandits operating in Mada, Wonaka, Yandoto, and Tsafe under their gang Commander Malam Tukur. He also confessed that several times, they blocked Gusau-Tsafe-Yankara Road and abducted an unspecified number of people, and took them to their enclave in which their relations paid ransom before their release.”
The Zamfara State Police Command also arrested two suspected terrorists, Umar Buba of Baburasa Village in Kainji LGA of Niger State and Babuga Manu of the same address for kidnapping and cattle rustling in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, and other states in the northern part of the country.
A suspected bandits’ informant Isah Ayuba was also arrested in the Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara state.
The Zamfara Police spokesperson said “In the course of interrogation, the suspect confessed to collaborating with bandits by giving them information on who to kidnap, where to attack, and so on. The suspect is under police custody revealing vital information that will lead to the arrest of his collaborator”.
SP Shehu concluded that an investigation is in progress and all suspects will be charged to court for prosecution upon completion of the probe.