Police operatives in Katsina have arrested a gang of four supplying guns to the bandits operating along Kaduna-Abuja road, Katsina and Zamfara states.
The state Police Public Relation Officer, SP Gambo Isah, said on Friday that the suspects were arrested when they took delivery of six AK-47 rifles to one notorious bandits’ leader and collected N3.4 million in return for the arms.
His words: “On Monday, at about 1:20p.m, a team of Police Mobile Personnel on patrol along Tsaskiya-Ummadau Road, Safana LGA of Katsina State accosted four men.
“They are Ibrahim Abdullahi, 40; Tukur Musa, 35; Abubakar Ibrahim, 21, and Rabi’u Hamisu, 19, on motorbikes, suspected to be bandits.
“In the course of investigation, the team recovered N3,445,000 from them suspected to be ransom money on transit for an arms deal.
“During the course of interrogation, the ring leader, Ibrahim Abdullahi, confessed to being a gunrunner and that they had taken six AK-47 rifles to one notorious bandits’ leader, Tukur Rabiu, alias ‘NASHARME’.
“Rabiu is hibernating at Rijana Forest, along Kaduna-Abuja Road and collected the said amount in return for the arms.
“The suspect also confessed to be a gunrunner for one Abu Rade, a notorious bandit hibernating at Rugu/Dumburum forests of Katsina and Zamfara states, respectively.
“He further stated that he is being paid N100,000 as commission for each arm he supplied. He confessed to have supplied so many AK-47 rifles to different bandits’ camps in the country.”