Police arrest suspected bandit informants, recover livestock in Sokoto
Nigeria Police Arrest Suspected Bandit Informants in Sokoto
SOKOTO, Nigeria — The Nigeria Police Force has apprehended two individuals suspected of being informants for bandit groups in Sokoto State and recovered a significant number of livestock during separate operations.
The arrests were confirmed in a statement on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i. The suspects, identified as Yahaya Kurma and Musa Lawali, both residents of Kurya Village in the Rabah Local Government Area, were taken into custody on May 15. The operations were conducted by personnel from the Unguwar Rogo Division in collaboration with the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
According to police, both suspects had been monitored due to their alleged roles in providing logistical and financial support to bandit groups operating in the Rabah, Kware, and Wurno local government areas. The police further stated that investigations are ongoing.
In a related incident, security forces thwarted a bandit attack in Gimba Village, located in the Binji Local Government Area, and recovered 78 cows that had been rustled. The attack occurred on May 14, during which the assailants fired indiscriminately before fleeing with the livestock. Police operatives, in conjunction with an Army Forward Operating Base, engaged the bandits in a gunfight, compelling them to abandon the stolen animals.
The recovered cattle will be returned to their rightful owners.
Additionally, police patrol teams recovered 19 stolen sheep in the More area, following the trail of footprints leading to Badageni Village in Kware Local Government Area. Three individuals— Ibraham Aliyu, Rabiatu Ibrahim, and Aisha Ibrahim—were arrested in connection with this incident. Authorities reported that two other suspects managed to escape, and efforts to apprehend them are ongoing.
Sokoto State Commissioner of Police Hayatu Shaffa emphasized the command’s dedication to combating banditry and other violent crimes in the region.
