The Sokoto State Police Command thwarted a coordinated bandit attack on three villages in Wamakko Local Government Area, arrested one suspect, and recovered 11 cows and five sheep.
Police Public Relations Officer DSP Ahmad Rufai disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Sokoto.
Rufai said the police received a distress call on Saturday reporting that heavily armed bandits had invaded Zabori, Tambaranga, and Gidan Yero villages in Wamakko LGA.
The Anti-Kidnapping Unit was quickly deployed and strategically blocked the bandits’ escape route at Abdalo Forest in Gwadabawa LGA.
“The operatives engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle. Due to the police’s superior firepower, the bandits were overwhelmed and forced to flee into a nearby forest, many with gunshot wounds,” he stated.
He added that one suspect, Musa Usman of Damba village in Illela LGA, was arrested during the operation.
The animals are in police custody pending identification and return to their owners. Efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
In a separate operation, Rufai said police on routine stop-and-search along the Kebbi–Sokoto Road on May 27 intercepted two suspected drug traffickers riding an unregistered motorcycle.
They found a sack containing suspected Indian hemp, along with 10 containers of Axzol tablets, Benthexol Tablets B.P. 5mg, and D5 tablets—all controlled drugs.
One suspect was arrested, but the other, identified only as Ummaru, escaped and is at large.
“All exhibits have been seized, and a manhunt is underway,” Rufai stated.
The Police Commissioner, Mr. Hayatu Shaffa, commended the officers for their successful operations and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to fighting banditry, cattle rustling, drug trafficking, and other crimes across the state.
