The Sokoto State Police Command has arrested three men suspected of financing armed bandit groups, including a local Fulani community leader.
The arrests, announced on Friday, after a successful operation was launched to apprehend individuals allegedly responsible for selling rustled cattle to generate funds for bandits. In a separate operation, police operatives in Zamfara State have dismantled a motorcycle theft syndicate in Talata Mafara, showing their dedication towards curbing criminal activities.
The Command’s Strike Force raided Talata Mafara in Zamfara State to recover vehicles stolen from Sokoto. The operations resulted in the recovery of four rustled cows and two stolen motorcycles.
Banditry remains a serious security challenge in North-West Nigeria, particularly in Borno, Niger, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states. These non-state actors frequently raid villages to steal livestock and kidnap residents for ransom. Security analysts have long argued that cutting off the financial supply lines, specifically the market for stolen cattle, is essential to defeating these groups.
Among those arrested in Tangaza Local Government Area was Ruwa Ginyo, identified as the Fulani head of the Gidan-Madi. Police accuse him and two accomplices of acting as the financial engine room for a bandit group.
The Commissioner of Police declared the operation a major victory in cutting off the funding stream that keeps banditry active.
Cutting off their funding stream is a major victory… If you commit a crime in Sokoto, we will find you, even if you run to another state. The era of criminals feeling safe across borders is over – Ahmed Musa, Sokoto State Commissioner of Police
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