Eleven suspected bandits and food suppliers have been arrested in Sokoto State, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said on Monday.
The suspects were said to be operating along Tureta and Dange/Shuni Local Government Areas in the Southern Senatorial District of the North-Western state.
According to the NSCDC, two of the suspects confessed to have participated in several attacks including a recent attack on Lambar Tureta and that of Dabagi Haske where eight persons were killed in separate attacks.
While two other suspects accused of supplying food to bandits and providing the bandits’ information aiding their operations confessed to committing the crimes they were accused of, seven others admitted that they are involved in several cattle rustling within Rabba and Wurno Local Government Areas.
Parading the suspects, the NSCDC Commandant, Muhammad Saleh-Dada, said the suspects were apprehended with the support of the vigilante group in the Wurno Local Government Area of the state.
He said the seven cattle rustlers had been terrorising Rabba and Wurno local councils before being arrested with over 40 cows, adding that the animals recovered from the suspects are in the custody of security officials.
It was gathered that some of the bandits who admitted they have participated in many operations, said they were hired by some commanders of the bandits’ group and were only paid N10,000.
They also expressed willingness to lead security operatives to the commanders they are working for in the banditry activities.
This is even as the NSCDC said the suspects will either be handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) or be taken to court for prosecution at the end of the investigation.
