Ten suspected bandits’ informants, who supply arms and ammunition, foodstuff, motorcycles, military uniforms, negotiate and deliver ransom to the bandits in Zamfara State have been nabbed.
They were arrested and paraded by operatives of the Zamfara State Police Command.
Addressing newsmen at the State Police headquarters, the spokesman of the command, SP Mohammed Shehu said the untiring commitment to rid the State of criminal activities ranging from armed banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other related crimes still remained in force.
“And in line with the mission and vision of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, the State commissioner of Police Command, Mr. Kolo Yusuf has reiterated the determination of the command to keep on doing everything within the ambit of the law to end the lingering insecurity bedeviling the State for over a decade,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police gave the assurance through the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu while parading 10 suspects arrested by the Police Tactical Operatives during an intelligence-led operations conducted in some criminal hideouts in Gusau and Tsafe Local Government Areas.
According to the State police spokesman, the command smashed a 6-man syndicate of informants to bandits.
He gave the names of the informants as Abubakar Mainasara from Tsafe Local Government Area, Babangida Mohammed, alias Soja, who impersonates as a military officer from Gusau Local Government Area, Jamilu Kawali, alias Tailor, also from Gusau.
Others include Lawali Ibrahim frоm Kauran Namoda, Surajo Idris, popularly known as “Honourable” from Gusau and Amadu Rufai from Birini Magaji Local Government Area of the State.
“The arrested suspects listed above are members of a notorious syndicate of informants who collaborate with bandits to terrorize peace-loving people of Gusau, Kaura Namoda, Tsafe, Bungudu Local Government Areas of the State and environs.
“The nefarious activities of this syndicate group were to give information to bandits to make it easier for them to attack communities and kidnap people for ransom.
“It was equally part of their activities to collect millions of naira to source for arms, ammunition and military camouflage uniforms for the bandits.
“Their recent dirty business was when one of the suspects, Abubakar Mainasara A.K.A Major, in his statement to the Police, confessed to collecting the sum of eight hundred and fifty thousand naira from the bandits to source for military camouflage uniforms for them.
“A consignment that was given to Babangida, A.K.A Major, who connived with one of their collaborators, one Jamilu Lawali of Gusau Local Government Area to source and sew the uniforms, which at the end was delivered to the bandits.
“The same suspect further confessed of collecting the sum of N2,000,000 from bandits to supply arms and ammunitions for them, even though, two of his accomplices Lawal Ibrahim and Surajo Idris confirmed to the Police that the money given to the suspect was N6,000,000 for the arms deal consignment and not N2,000,000 naira.
“The sum of one million naira was given to same Babangida Soja, who in turn gave only N60,000 to Jamilu Lawali for the supply of the ammunition who at the end supplied 10 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition which was handed over to bandits through Babangida Soja and Abubakar Mainasara.”