5th January, 2023
By Ishaq Zaki
Operatives of the Zamfara Police Command said they neutralised a bandit and arrested six people suspected to be members of camps of banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling kingpins operating in various parts of the state.
SP. Muhammad Shehu, the Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Gusau.
Shehu also said that police operatives of the command repelled the bandits’ attack and recovered two AK-47 rifles, 104 rounds of live ammunition, two magazines and a bunch of charms.
“On Jan. 1, police tactical operatives, while on confidence building patrol along Gusau-Magami-Dansadau road, received a distress call about plans by bandits to block the road and attack commuters and by extension some villages.
“The police operatives mobilised to the locations and engaged the bandits in a gun battle.
“One of the bandits was neutralised and the attack was repelled due to the superior firepower of the police operatives and they retreated to the forest with possible gunshot wounds”, he said.
He said police tactical operatives, while on a confidence-building patrol, conducted a stop and search based on intelligence information that led to the arrest of two suspects for alleged kidnapping and cattle rustling.
“In the course of interrogation, the suspects confessed to being into kidnapping and cattle rustling in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states.
“The suspects also admitted to being members of the gang of popular bandit kingpin Bello Turji.
“On Jan. 1 at about 1330 hours, police tactical operatives, while on a confidence-building patrol/stop and search, arrested a gang member of the bandit’s kingpin, popularly known as Halilu Kachall,” he said.
“On January 2, at approximately 1215 hours, police tactical operatives deployed along the Gusau-Tsafe road on rigorous patrol arrested additional suspected bandits.”
“In the course of the investigation, the suspect confessed that they belong to a gang of bandits operating in Mada, Wonaka, Yandoto and Tsafe under their gang commander, Malam Tukur,“he said.
He said that on Jan. 3, police operatives also arrested a notorious bandit“s informant who gives information to bandits operating in Kaura Namoda, Birnin Magaji , Zurmi and Shinkafi Local government area of the state.
The spokesman said that the suspects who are in police custody, would be charged in court at the conclusion of the investigation.
NAN