The Zamfara State Police Command has repelled terrorists attacks on two communities in Zurmi and Shinkafi Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PRO),
Mohammed Shehu made this known while parading suspected bandit collaborators on
Saturday in Gusau, Zamfara state capital.
According to a statement, the police
arrested three suspected bandits informants who allegedly collaborate with
bandits to impose levies on some communities and divulge information on
operational activities of security agencies to the terrorists.
The command also arrested six suspected
bandit collaborators who allegedly specialise in supplying hard drugs including
Indian hemp to terrorists operating in the state.
The suspected informants include Abubakar
Idaho (75) Kwarya Tsugunne village in Maru LGA, and Almustapha Dahiru (69) of
Yanbuki village in Zurmi LGA both male.
They were reportedly arrested by the police
tactical operatives in connection with partnering with bandits to impose levies
on Kwarya Tsugunne and Yanbuki villages in Maru and Zurmi Local governments
areas respectively.
The third suspect, Mohammed Jibrin of Kekun
Waje village in Bungudu LGA was said to have been arrested as being informant
to bandits by divulging information about the operational activities of
security agencies and vigilante at Kekun Waje village in Bungudu LGA.
Shehu said police tactical operatives while
on confidence building patrol along Zurmi and Shinkafi LGAs received a distress
call about terrorists plan to attack some villages of the two LGAs.
He said police operatives mobilised to the
locations and engaged the terrorists to gun battle that lasted for hours.
“Luckily enough, the bandits were repelled
by the superior fire power of the police operatives, forcing them to retreat
back to the forest with possible gun shot wounds. Two AK47 rifles and 104
rounds of live ammunition belonging to the bandits were recovered at the
scene,” he stated.
“The suspects during interrogation
confessed to the Police that, on several occasions, they imposed levies on
villagers that run into millions and delivered same to bandits while getting
their percentage.
“They further confessed that, recently they
imposed and collected levy of one million, two hundred thousand naira from
Kwarya Tsugunne village.”
The six suspects accused of supplying hard
drugs were arrested while transporting a large quantity of “dried leaves
suspected to be Indian hemp” from Lagos State to Shinkafi.
“On 7th December, 2022 at about 1200 hours,
Police Tactical operatives acted on intelligence information that led to the
arrest of the suspects. The suspects were arrested while transporting a large
quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp all the way from Lagos to
Shinkafi in Zamfara State.
“In the course of investigation, the
suspects confessed to several supply of hard drugs (sic) and other substances
to the bandits operating at Shinkafi and Zurmi axis. Discreet investigation is
ongoing,” the command said.
In a related development, Shehu stated that
police tactical operatives, while conducting stop-and-search operations, acted
on credible information that led to the arrest of other suspects who were also
transporting a large quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp to
Kaura Namoda LGA of Zamfara State.
“The four suspects were arrested in an
18-seater Toyota vehicle conveying a large quantity of dried leaves suspected
to be Indian hemp from Lagos and to be delivered to Kaura Namoda in Zamfara
state.
“In the course of interrogation, the
suspects confessed that the consignment was meant for bandits operating in a
forest under Shinkafi LGA of Zamfara state,” the PPRO said.
Police said discreet investigation is in
progress and all the suspects will be charged to court for prosecution on
completion of investigation.