Police Arrest Suppliers Of Ammunition, Military Uniforms, To Terrorists In Zamfara

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Sunday, September 18th, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The police in Zamfara State have arrested 10 people suspected to be informants and suppliers of ammunition and other equipment to terrorists operating in parts of the state.

Some of the items the police claimed it recovered from the suppliers include arms, ammunition, military uniforms, food items and motorcycles.

In a statement, the spokesperson of the state’s police command, Mohammed Shehu, said the suspects were arrested due to the “untiring commitment of the police to rid the state of criminals”.

Mr Shehu said the police arrested a syndicate of six informants after gathering credible intelligence about the activities of the group. He said members of the syndicate confessed to giving information to terrorists operating in Gusau, Kaura Namoda, Tsafe, and Bungudu areas of the state.

“It was equally part of their activities to collect millions of naira to source for arms/ammunition and military camouflage uniforms for the bandits. Their recent dirty business was when one of the suspects, Abubakar Mainasara, in his statement to the Police confessed to collecting the sum of Eight Hundred and Fifty

Thousand Naira (N850, 000) from the bandits to source military camouflage uniforms for them, a consignment that was given to Babangida A.K.A Major, who connived with one of their collaborators, a tailor, Jamilu Lawali ‘M’ of Gusau to source and sew the uniforms which at the end was delivered to the bandits.

“The same suspect further confessed to collecting the sum of Two Million Naira (N2,000,000) from Bandits to supply arms and ammunition for them, even though, two of his accomplices Lawal Ibrahim ‘M’ and Surajo Idris ‘M’ confirmed to the Police that the money given to the suspect was Six Million Naira (N6,000,000) for the arms deal consignment and not N2,000,000 naira. The sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) was given to the same Babangida Soja ‘M’, who in turn gave only Sixty Thousand Naira (N60,000) to Jamilu Lawali ‘M’, (Tailor) for the supply of the ammunition who at the end supplied Ten (10) rounds of AK-47 live ammunition which was handed over to Bandits through Babangida Soja and Abubakar Mainasara,” Mr Shehu said.

The police spokesperson said another suspect, Zainu Lawal, was arrested in possession of arms, four rounds of cartridges, military camouflage uniforms, fake military identification cards and other weapons.

Mr Shehu said the police also arrested two persons who supply food to the terrorists.

He said the suspects, Alhassan Lawali and Mansur Usman, “confessed to having supplied over fourteen (14) operational motorcycles to the bandits in the forest at the rate of N750,000 each, of which he earned the N15,000 per motorcycle.

“The suspect further confessed that over the years, he was the one repairing motorcycles for the bandits if spoiled. The suspect (Mr Lawali) in his statement also mentioned one Mansur Usman as his collaborator who was later arrested by the police. When interrogated, he confessed to having been supplying foodstuff and delivering the same to the bandits in the forest. He also confessed that many times he collected and delivered ransom to the bandits. The last ransom he delivered was the sum of N2.3 million,” Mr Shehu said.

Mr Shehu said the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.

Zamfara State, like many other states in the North-west and parts of the North-central, has witnessed renewed bandits’ activities which have led to the death of hundreds of people and the displacement of others