Zamfara State Police Command has arrested 8 suspects over banditry-related offences, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, gunrunning and fraud.
Spokesman of the command, SP Mohammed Shehu, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, said said police recovered 15 locally fabricated guns, 146 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, a Honda car, N100 million and dried leaves suspected to be marijuana.
According to the PPRO, three of the suspects including 34-year-old Mohammed from Shanono Local Government Area, 18-year-old Ibrahim Salisu from Kumbotso Local Government Area and another 18-year-old Abdulazeez Mohammed from Kumbotso Local Government Area, both in Kano were arrested on Tuesday.
He said the suspects specialised in defrauding bank customers at various ATM points in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kaduna and Zamfara states.
The police spokesperson said on Tuesday, detectives acted on a complaint by one Abubakar Lawali of Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the state who reported that while he was at an ATM Gallery, Talata branch, the suspects conspired and defrauded him of the sum of N1 million by using his ATM card to withdraw the money from his account through a POS operator.
“According to the complainant, the suspects succeeded in their action when they offered to help him to make withdrawal when he could not make the transactions due to network problem,” the statement read.
“They collected his ATM card and deceitfully withdrew the money from the POS operator. In the course of interrogation, all the suspects confessed to the crime and further stated how they carried out similar fraud at different banks in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara States respectively.
“The sum of One Million Naira (N1, 000,000) cash belonging to the complainant and a suspected Honda Accord Anaconda Vehicle were recovered from them as exhibits. Discreet investigation is in progress with a view to arresting other members of their gang and charging them to court for prosecution.”
Also, police detectives acting on an intelligence report arrested one 26-year-old Murtala Musa from Kado Village, 23-year-old Mustapha Lawala from Kasuwa Daji both in K/Namoda Local Government Area and one 21-year-old Sharhabilu Taju from Bela Village in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The suspects before their arrest were part of a criminal syndicate that gave information to bandits and also supplied all forms of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and other dangerous drugs.
The police said that upon arrest, two locally fabricated guns and two cartridges were recovered from him.
In a similar development, Police Tactical operatives on confidence-building patrol along Tsafe-Munhaye forest acted on an intelligence report and arrested some gunrunners who were on their way to Munhaye forest to supply arms and ammunition to bandits.
According to the police, the gunrunners after noticing the police abandoned the sack containing the arms and ammunition and fled into a thick forest.
“The police operatives, while on spot search, recovered 10 fabricated AK-47 rifles and three fabricated revolver pistols. Drag net has been sprayed to arrest the fleeing hoodlums,” he added.
