Police kill 23 bandits, arrest kingpin, Bello Turji’s ally, in Sokoto

Operatives of the Sokoto State Police Command have killed no fewer than 23 suspected armed bandits in three local government areas of the state.

The command also nabbed nothing less than 57 others for various criminal activities involving banditry, cattle rustling rampant in the North West region. 

The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations, DIG Ahmed Zaki Gwandu, revealed these while briefing journalists at command headquarters on Monday. 

The DIG who addressed newsmen alongside the Assistant Inspector General of Police, zone 10, AIG Ali Janga, as well as the Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, CP Kamaldeen Okunlola, said 37 of them were arrested for acts of terrorism by the operations which covered bandits camps in three local governments which include Rabbah, Goronyo and Illela local governments.

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He said the suspects which include Musa Mohammed Kamarawa, a 33-year-old ally of the notorious gang leader, Bello Turji, were arrested in different locations and have all confessed to their complicity in the crime of banditry.

Those arrested alongside Kamarawa include Abubakar Hashimu, Bammi Alhaji Kiruwa, Zayyanu Abdullahi, Mohammed Aliyu, Hardo Yunusa, Mohammed Dangi, Umar Saidu, Ibrahim Shehu, Samuel Chinedu, Usman Ibrahim, Andi Nnalowe, and Fabrus Abbasi.

Others are Mohammed Adamu, Mohammadu Bello, Aminu Umar, Umar Dikko, Garba Jammare, Junaidu Mamman, Ibrahim Aliyu, Rabiu Dari, Abdullahi Aliyu, Shehu Abubakar Yusuf, Jabir Isiyaka, Abubakar Shakau, Maniru Saidu, Ibrahim Adamu and Shehu Adamu.

They also include Saidu Ibrahim, Hussaini Adamu, Alhassan Abubakar, Sule Usman, Isah Hussaini, Nvou Micheal, Abubakar Baba Manga, and Halilu Idris.

DIG Ahmed Zaki further enumerated some of the items recovered from the suspects to include 32 AK-47 rifles, two RPG, one rocket launcher, four locally-made pistols, three army camouflage uniforms, 33 live cartridges, four empty shells of cartridges, three AK-47 magazines as well as four operational vehicles among other weapons.

He further explained that in addition to the arms and charms retrieved from the suspects, the police also recovered three trucks in possession of Musa Kamarawa, two of them at Malunfashi in Katsina State and the remaining one was recovered at Ekpoma in Edo State.

He also revealed that not less than 150 cows believed to have been rustled were also recovered from the criminals.