Sokoto State Police Command has arrested three suspected collaborators of bandits and recovered arms and ammunition in two separate intelligence-led operations across the state.

Spokesman of the Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the operations were carried out by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and operatives of Tureta Division.

According to him, on September 22, 2025, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit intercepted an ash-coloured Golf Wagon with tinted glass driven by one Ahmed Illiyasu, who was in company of two passengers — Hamza Sani and Safiyanu Kabiru, both from Gundumi village, described by the police as a known bandit stronghold.

The suspects, Rufai revealed, had allegedly purchased six jerricans of petrol in Goronyo with the intent of supplying the commodity to bandits terrorising communities in the eastern axis of Sokoto. They were promptly arrested while the exhibits were seized.

In a separate breakthrough on September 24, operatives on patrol in Tureta arrested Shehu Sani, 30, of Gwaddodi village in Rabah Local Government Area, who was found in possession of a fabricated automatic rifle and two rounds of live AK-47 ammunition. He has since been transferred to the SCID for further investigation.

Commending the officers for their vigilance, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Musa, reiterated the Command’s determination to dismantle the supply chain sustaining armed criminals and to ensure the safety of lives and property across the state.

He urged residents to continue supporting the police with credible information, stressing that intelligence-driven policing, proactive patrols, and community engagement remain central to sustaining peace and security in Sokoto. (Saturday Tribune)