The Police Command spokesperson in Zamfara State Mohammed Shehu, has confirmed the arrest of a female gunrunner who specializes in supplying arms and ammunition to bandits operating in the State.
He made this known while addressing newsmen at the police headquarters in Gusau, the State capital on Friday.
Shehu said the woman, Fatima Sani, 35 years old, was arrested following an intelligence report that she was bringing arms and ammunition to bandits in Zamfara State from Lafiya town in Nasarawa State.
He stated that on 13 February, 2023, Police detectives arrested the suspected female gunrunner in possession of 325 rounds of live ammunition, following the intelligence information obtained about her movement with the said exhibit from Lafia in Nasarawa State to a notorious bandit’s kingpin operating in Zamfara forest.
“In the course of interrogation, the suspect confessed to have been into the business and that she had earlier supplied three (3) AK-47 rifles and one thousand (1000) rounds of AK-47 live ammunition to bandits operating within Zamfara. A discreet investigation is in progress and the suspect will be charged to court for prosecution,” the statement said.
Similarly, the Zamfara police arrested members of a six-man gang including a thirty-year-old kidnapper who masterminded the abduction of his own mother and was given N1m after the payment of N30m as a ransom for her release.
“On 12th February 2023, Zamfara Police Command through its community policing engagement acted on intelligence information that led to the bursting of kidnapping syndicate and the arrest of six serial kidnappers who have been terrorising different villages in Kaduna, Kano, and other neighbouring states such as Zamfara, Sokoto and so on,” the statement said.
Shehu added that: “In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the suspects have carried out a series of kidnappings where an unspecified number of people were abducted and millions of naira collected as ransom. Each suspect further narrated the number of kidnappings he participated in as well as the role he played in each kidnapping.
“Surprisingly, one of the suspects, Thomas Ya’u, confessed that sometime last year, he masterminded the kidnapping of his biological mother and three others, as a result of the kidnapping, they collected N30m from the relations as ransom, and in turn, he was given N1m as his share.”
Police also arrested a SIM card distributor to bandits with 1,000 SIM cards meant for delivery to bandits in their enclaves across Zamfara State
“On 15th February 2023, upon intelligence that the above-named suspect was seen with an uncountable number of registered MTN SIM cards. Police operatives swung into action arrested the suspect and conducted a spot search, the above exhibits were recovered from him,” he added.
The police spokesperson further noted that: “In the course of the investigation, the suspect confessed that the SIM cards are for sale to customers who are looking for registered sim cards. It is well known to everyone that it is no longer permitted by the NCC to sell registered SIM cards of any network.”
He said investigations are in progress with a view to arresting other suspects before being charged to court for prosecution.
