Notorious Kaduna cattle rustler, gun traffickers arrested

The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested multiple suspects, including two gunrunners, two attempted murder suspects, a notorious cattle rustler, and two motorcycle thieves, the command said on Friday.

DSP Mansir Hassan, the police spokesperson, confirmed the arrests and the recovery of a fabricated AK‑47 rifle, a pump-action gun, three cows, and a stolen motorcycle.

Hassan explained that on Saturday, a joint patrol by Tafa Division and the Kaduna State Vigilante Service intercepted Saleh Ibrahim of Sabon Gayan Village along Bakura Forest, Kagarko LGA, in possession of three cattle suspected to be stolen.

“Upon interrogation, he confessed to have stolen the cattle from Kafin Koro Village in Niger, with the intention of transporting them to Dikko Market,” Hassan said.

Investigations revealed that Saleh was a known rustler along the Kaduna‑Niger axis and that his father, Ibrahim, had been neutralised by security forces six years ago.

In a separate incident on January 2, police arrested Mohammad Hussaini for stealing a Jinchen motorcycle, after a report by Mustapha Jibril at Dan Magaji Police Station. Hussaini confessed to conspiring with Abdulhasif Sulaiman and Abdulkadir Idris from Zaria City. Two motorcycles were recovered, though the alleged receivers remain at large.

On Friday, Police Mobile Force operatives arrested Basiru Musa and Yushau Yusuf of Niger State, recovering a fabricated AK‑47 with live rounds and a pump-action gun.

“During interrogation, the suspects mentioned one Iliya Branko in Gidigori Village as the person who allegedly issued them the firearms. Further investigation is ongoing,” Hassan said.

The police also apprehended two sons, Benjamin “Tigo” Sunday and Monday Auta, aged 57, for allegedly threatening their father with a fabricated dane gun in Kauru LGA.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed, claiming their actions were motivated by alleged maltreatment and intended to teach their father a lesson,” Hassan said.

Kaduna Police Commissioner Rabiu Muhammad reaffirmed the command’s commitment to aggressive patrols and joint operations along forest corridors and border communities.

“Criminals exploiting inter-state boundaries will be relentlessly tracked, arrested and brought to justice,” he said.