Police nab suspected suppliers of arms,ammunition to bandits in Niger

Photo credit: Wikipedia.

The Police Command in Niger state has arrested seven suspected criminals, including those who serve as informants to criminals and supply bandits with arms and ammunition.

The Reporters reports that the state remains prominent among states in Nigeria confronted with banditry attacks with huge losses in property worth millions of naira as well deaths.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger State Command, DSP Wasiu A. Abiodun,in a statement said:
 
“Upon receipt of information about abduction of four persons, including one Aminu Garba and killing of two of the victims in Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area, the Command mobilized, drafted a combined team of tactical squad comprise of Anti-Kidnapping Unit, FIB tactical squad and vigilante members to the area.          
 
“Consequently, due to sustained operational pressure on the hoodlums, two victims later escaped from their abductors while the remaining two including Aminu Garba were still in captivity and later killed by their abductors after collecting N13 million ransom.
 
“However, on the 29th of August, based on technical intelligence, one Nasiru Musa, aged 30 years, was arrested in Tegina town in connection with the crime and on interrogation, confessed to have conspired with one Lelwi and one Gwaskan-Daji, both men are on the run.
 
“The Command’s tactical team,based at Dikko junction in collaboration with FIB squad also during a sting operation,arrested one Umar Shehu aged 31years of Bakori, Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State suspected to be a notorious arms dealer who supplies arms and ammunition to different armed bandit camps in Katsina, Kaduna and Niger state.
 
“On interrogations, the suspect confessed to supplying arms and ammunition to armed bandits hibernating in Madaki forest Katsina, Ganai camp in Maidaro forest Kaduna and also a syndicate member from one of the cells terrorizing Kwamba/Maje area of Suleja.
 
“Umar Shehu also confessed to have purchased the arms from one, Abdulmani ‘m’ of no fixed address in Taraba state, but who was neutralized in Kaduna by FIB squad early this year and claimed that he makes gain of N100, 000 from every 500 ammunition delivered to any bandit’s camp.”
 
Abiodun also disclosed that police operatives attached to Tafa Division arrested one Emeka Umerah, aged 39, of Onitsha in Anambra state driving a Toyota Camry vehicle with Reg. Nunber, RBC 723 BH which he could not give vivid account of.
 
According to him,Umerah was arrested along the Abuja-Kaduna road at Sabon-Wuse area of Tafa Local Government Area with the said vehicle and during interrogations, confessed to have conspired with two others, one Uzor and Ego both presently at large to rob the owner of the vehicle at Garam village, Dogon-Kurmi Ward in Tafa on the 20th of August 2022.
 
“The suspect said he was taking the vehicle to Kaduna for sale to a buyer, Zakari Kaura of Kaduna state. Case is under investigation as effort is ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate and the receiver. The cases are under investigations.
 
Also, the Police operatives have arrested four notorious fraudsters; Aliyu Mohammed (Ali Kanka) 48 years, Mu’azu Mohammed 52 years both ‘m’ of Kontagora, Shehu Abubakar 35 years and Isyaku Ahmadu 45 years both ‘m’ of Maikunkele in Bosso Local Government, all from their operational base in Shango area of Minna.
 
He qouted the Commissioner of Police in the state CP Monday Bala Kuryas, as reassuring law abiding people in the state of efforts being made to bring all forms of crime and criminality to the barest minimum.

Kurtas, however,admonished residents to be wary of fraudsters and avoid unrealistic returns of money when they have no legal investments of their own. 

Edited by Dada Ahmed.