The Katsina State Police Command says it has arrested five persons suspected to be supplying bandits with petroleum products, in addition to a suspected kidnapper in the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, SP Gambo Isah, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Tuesday, in Katsina.
“On Sept 18, 2021, based on credible intelligence, the command succeeded in arresting a 32-year-old man from Maradi, Niger Republic, conveying fuel in a Passat vehicle.
“Another 28-year-old man, a resident of Magamar Jibia, was also arrested conveying fuel in his Passat vehicle.
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“The command was also able to arrest a 50-year-old man, a resident of Daddara village, in Jibia Local Government Area (LGA), also suspected to be conveying fuel in his Golf III car.
“We also succeeded in arresting a 57-year-old man suspect, of Kofar Guga Quarters, conveying fuel in his vehicle.
“Nemesis caught up with the suspects when they were all arrested along Katsina – Jibia road while on their way into the forest.” Isa said.
According to him, in the course of investigation, the suspects confessed to selling the fuel on the fringes of the forest, contrary to the Executive order and other extant laws of the Federation.
He added that the command had also succeeded in arresting a 25-year-old suspect of Anguwan Nakaba village, Sabuwa LGA, believed to be a supplier of fuel to bandits in the forest.
“The fact of the matter was that the suspect was observed to have been frequently coming to buy fuel at a filling station in Dandume LGA in his motorcycle, a Jincheng rubber.
“Consequently, police detectives on surveillance patrol at the said filling station secretly followed him, which led them into an uncompleted building where he was arrested while transferring the fuel into a Jerry can.
“In the course of investigation, the suspect confessed to the commission of the offense and further stated that he came all the way from Sabuwa LGA to buy the fuel and take it to the forest.” he said.
Isah further explained that the Command had similarly arrested a 30-year-old man from Sabon Garin MotsoMotso, Zandam village, Jibia LGA, suspected to be a notorious informer who specialised in supplying bread to bandits in the forest.
“After several warnings by both community leaders and security agencies asking him to stop supplying bread to bandits in the forest, the suspect was subsequently arrested with some quantity of bread concealed inside a sack while trying to enter the forest.
The suspect also confessed to committing the offense, as investigations are ongoing, according to Isah.
In a related development the police spokesman also disclosed that the command had arrested a 22-year-old man from Kankia LGA, a cripple, who specialises in calling people on phone and threatening them to pay ransom or risk being kidnapped.
“The suspect was arrested after he called a businessman in Kankia and demanded the payment of N2 million ransom or risk himself or any of his relations being kidnapped.
“In the course of investigation, the suspect was arrested when he went to collect the ransom money deposited as bait for him, at a location he instructed the victim to go and drop the money”.
Investigation is still ongoing in the case, following the confession of the suspect to committing the offence, Isah said. (NAN)