The police also repelled a bandit attack on a community in Gusau and Maru local government areas of the state.
Personnel of Zamfara State Command have busted a gang of bandits, killing one of them.
The police also arrested six suspects for banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in the Northwest Nigerian state.
The police also repelled a bandit attack on a community in Gusau and Maru local government areas of the state and recovered two AK-47s, 104 rounds of live ammunition, two magazines for AK-47s and a bunch of charms.
The spokesperson for the state police command, SP Mohammed Shehu, who made this known to SaharaReporters in a statement on Wednesday said on January 1, 2023, police tactical operatives while on confidence-building patrol along Gusau-Magami-Dansadau Road, received a distress call about bandits’ plan to block the road and attack commuters and by extension some villages.
Shehu said the police personnel mobilised to the locations and engaged the bandits in a heavy gun battle.
"Luckily enough, one of the bandits was neutralised and others were repelled by the superior firepower of the police operatives, as such they retreated back to the forest with possible gunshot wounds. Two AK-47 rifles, two magazines, 104 rounds of live ammunition and a bunch of charms belonging to the bandits were recovered at the scene," he said.
Shehu said the two suspects arrested for banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Zamfara, Katsina and Niger states are 21-year-old Umaru Buba and 20-year-old Babuga Manu, both from Baburasa village in the Kainji Local Government Area of Niger State.
"In the course of interrogation by the police, the suspects confessed to being into kidnapping and cattle rustling in various states such as Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and other states in the North.
"The suspects further confessed to belonging to the gang of Bello Turji where they took part in the kidnapping of an unspecified number of victims in which millions of Naira were collected as ransom," he said.
The police also arrested 30-year-old Musbahu Aminu from Yabawa village in the Maradun Local Government Area of the state, who was allegedly a member of a notorious bandit gang led by Halilu Kachalla.
The police statement noted that on January 1, 2023, at about 1330 hours, police tactical operatives while on confidence-building patrol/stop and search arrested the suspect.
According to the police spokesperson, during a discreet investigation, the suspect confessed to being a member of bandit kingpin Kachalla’s gang. Kachalla is said to operate in many Zamfara communities and neighbouring states.
"The suspect further confessed to participating in several kidnapping and cattle rustling where millions of Naira were paid by victims' relations as ransom," the statement said.
In a similar development, the police on January 2, 2023, arrested a 25-year-old Abu Umaru from Doka village in the Gusau Local Government Area of the state for banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other heinous crimes.
Upon his arrest, the police recovered one operational motorcycle and a sharp knife.
Umaru was arrested at about 1215 hours by police tactical operatives deployed along Gusau-Tsafe Road on “rigorous patrol while coming out of the forest”.
Shehu said, "In the course of the investigation, the suspect confessed to belonging to a gang of bandits operating in Mada, Wonaka, Yandoto and Tsafe under their gang commander Malam Tukur.
"He also confessed that at several times, they blocked Gusau-Tsafe-Yankara Road and abducted an unspecified number of people and took them to their enclave in which their relations paid ransom before their release.
"The recent abduction they carried out was on January 1, 2023, at about 1900hours where they blocked two vehicles along Gusau-Tsafe highway by Yandoto village and kidnapped nine persons including three women and two children."
Also, on January 3, 2023, the police tactical operatives “acted on intelligence information that led to the arrest of a notorious bandit informant in Laura Namoda Local Government Area of the state”.
The 35-year-old suspect identified as Isah Ayuba was “said to be the informant who gives information to bandits operating in Kaura Namoda, B/Magaji, Zurmi and Shinkafi LGAs of the state”.
The police authorities said in the course of interrogation, the suspect confessed to collaborating with bandits by giving them information on whom to kidnap, where to attack and so on.
"The suspect is under police custody revealing vital information that will lead to the arrest of his collaborators.
"Discreet investigation is in progress, all the suspects will be charged to court for prosecution on completion of the investigation," he added.