In its ongoing clampdown on terror Kingpins terrorizing Zamfara State, the Zamfara Police Command says it has arrested 16 suspects for various offences, ranging from banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping, culpable homicide, and armed robbery among others.
Parading the suspects before newsmen in Gusau, the Zamfara State, Shehu Muhammed, the command’s spokesman, disclosed that among those arrested include a notorious bandit Kingpin, Sujora Almandawi, who was alleged to be terrorising villages in Tsafe, Kotorkoshi, Damba and some outskirts of Gusau, capital of Zamfara State.
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According to him, the police tactical operatives while on confidence-building patrol along Gusau-Funtua road acted on intelligence information that led to the kingpin’s arrest. The spokesman added that intelligence revealed that the suspect was involved in several attacks on local villages where he rustled cattle, kidnapped locals for ransom and mindlessly killed scores of others.
“In the course of interrogation, the suspect confessed to serial kidnapping and cattle rustling in more than 10 communities in Gusau, Tsafe and Bungudu LGAs, where they collected millions of naira from the relations of victims as ransom, and that the suspect further confessed of rustling an unspecified number of cow,” Mohammed said.
In another operation, the police combined with local vigilantes arrested another bandits leader, Bage Mohammed, who was involved in several attacks on villages in Bukkuyum axis where he kidnapped 11 people in Dargaji village, according to the spokesman.
During an investigation, the suspect “confessed” to having partaken in several attacks in some parts of Anka, Bukkuyum and Gummi local council areas. However, he had been instrumental in more arrests and recovery, Mohammed said.
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Meanwhile, the trio of Kabiru Idi, Dan Hauwa Kalla and Majami Iliya were arrested for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and culpable homicide. The spokesman said they were arrested by police detectives attached to the Anti-Violence Squad on November 3, after they kidnapped and killed 6-year-old Laminu Sani in Bulunku area, Gusau. However, the suspects, according to Muhammed confessed to the crime.
He added that in the course of an investigation, all the suspects confessed to the crime and further explained their role in kidnapping the child.
