By Adamu Yunusa, Sokoto
The Sokoto State Police Command says it has arrested suspected bandit informants and terrorism financiers in a series of coordinated operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks behind insecurity in the North-West.
Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Hayatu Hassan Shaffa, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing in Sokoto, where he highlighted recent operational successes against banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.
Shaffa said the briefing was part of efforts to keep the public informed and strengthen collaboration between security agencies and residents in tackling insecurity.
According to him, the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on credible intelligence on April 17, 2026, arrested a suspected collaborator identified as Aminu Mai Roba from Maikulki Village in Binji Local Government Area.
The suspect was intercepted along the Ruwa–Wuri–Tangaza Road while transporting four cows allegedly linked to a terrorist group operating in the area.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed that he received the cattle from members of the Lakurawa terrorist group at Wariya Village in Tangaza Local Government Area,” Shaffa said.
He added that the suspect admitted to selling stolen livestock and remitting proceeds to the criminal network. The recovered cows, he said, have been registered as exhibits, while investigations are ongoing.
Shaffa explained that the Command’s engagement with the media was part of its transparency drive and strategy to build public trust in ongoing security operations.
He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, and ensuring sustained pressure on criminal elements across the state.
“In compliance with directives of the Inspector General of Police on professionalism and operational discipline, we have strengthened our internal enforcement mechanisms to improve efficiency,” he said.
The Commissioner noted that the Command had recorded significant gains since he assumed office, attributing the progress to inter-agency collaboration, intelligence-led policing, and community support.
He also disclosed that on April 8, 2026, security forces repelled a coordinated attack by armed bandits on Kwarengamba and Gayya da Kwari villages in Sabon Birni Local Government Area, a border community near the Republic of Niger.
According to him, a joint team of police tactical units, military personnel, Community Guard Watch, and local vigilantes engaged the attackers in a gun battle and successfully forced them to retreat.
“The bandits fled with gunshot wounds, abandoning a sack containing 167 rounds of live ammunition, which has been recovered as evidence,” Shaffa said.
In another operation on April 15, 2026, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit raided suspected criminal hideouts in Tambuwal, Kware, and Goronyo Local Government Areas.
Three suspects Isiya Yusuf of Goronyo, Dankulu Sani of Tambuwal, and Yushau Abubakar of Kware were arrested during the raids.
Recovered items included seven locally made firearms, an AK-47 magazine, a military uniform, cutlasses, suspected hard drugs, and dried leaves believed to be Indian hemp.
Shaffa confirmed that the suspects have been charged to court.
Reiterating the Command’s resolve, the Commissioner said the police remain committed to denying criminal groups safe havens through sustained intelligence operations and proactive policing.
“We are determined to ensure that no criminal element finds refuge within our communities,” he said.
He urged residents to support security efforts by providing timely and credible information, assuring that all reports would be treated with confidentiality.
Shaffa also released emergency contact numbers for the Command, encouraging the public to report suspicious activities through designated police lines and complaint response channels.
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