Police kill two bandits, arrest 11 suspects in Sokoto

The Sokoto State Police Command has reported significant successes in its fight against crime, neutralizing two suspected bandits and apprehending 11 individuals in separate operations targeting banditry, motorcycle theft, and other criminal activities across the state. The operations, conducted between August 14 and 15, also resulted in the recovery of crucial weaponry and stolen property.

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The gallant officers engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel that lasted for a considerable time.

Among the seized items are two AK-47 rifles, 54 rounds of live ammunition, two magazines, a locally fabricated pistol, and 14 motorcycles that had been stolen. The police command detailed that a key operation involved responding to an attempted bandit attack on Dankadu Village in the Illela Local Government Area. Upon receiving a distress call about armed bandits advancing from Tsauana Forest, tactical teams were immediately deployed.

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The bandits, overwhelmed by the security personnel’s superior firepower, fled into the forest with gunshot wounds.

Operatives engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle, forcing the assailants to flee into the forest with gunshot wounds. A subsequent search of the area led to the discovery and neutralization of two of the fleeing suspects, along with the recovery of the aforementioned firearms and ammunition. The police confirmed that no security personnel or residents were harmed during this encounter, and confidence-building patrols are ongoing to reassure the community.

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Police said five stolen motorcycles and a locally fabricated pistol were recovered from their premises.

In a separate operation targeting a motorcycle theft syndicate operating in the Kwannawa and Tamaje areas of Sokoto metropolis, three suspects were arrested. Police identified them as Siba Abdullahi, Hassan Hassan, and Usama Isah. Five stolen motorcycles and a locally fabricated pistol were recovered from their possession. Further investigations by the command's Strike Force led to the arrest of additional suspects linked to a broader network involved in motorcycle theft, extortion, and receiving stolen property, following complaints from community leaders about rising criminal activities.

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The suspects allegedly confessed to conspiring with other members of the syndicate, some of whom remain at large, to trespass and steal motorcycles.