From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto
The Sokoto State Police Command has dealt a major blow to criminal networks in the state, arresting two high-profile bandit informants who had been on the security watchlist for months, while successfully foiling attacks and recovering 97 stolen livestock.
The breakthrough, which spanned operations across Rabah, Kware, Wurno, and Binji Local Government Areas, was confirmed in a statement on Saturday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i.
In what security analysts describe as a critical disruption of the bandits’ logistics pipeline, operatives from the Unguwar Rogo Division and the Anti-Kidnapping Unit intercepted two long-sought suspects on May 15, 2026.
The suspects, identified as Yahaya Kurma and Musa Lawali, both residents of Kurya Village in Rabah LGA, were arrested on an unregistered Honda motorcycle.
Police recovered two large bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
“Both suspects had been on the police intelligence watchlist for a long period due to their alleged role as key informants and financial facilitators for bandit gangs.
“Intelligence indicates the suspects were actively supplying the narcotics to bandits terrorizing Rabah, Kware, and Wurno LGAs as part of a logistics and financing arrangement,” DSP Rufa’i stated.
The successes extended to the tactical arena on May 14, 2026, when joint security forces repelled a violent assault on Gimba Village, a remote hamlet in the Gawazzau District of Binji LGA.
Responding to a 23:30 hrs distress call regarding heavily armed bandits shooting sporadically and stealing livestock, the Binji Divisional Police Officer mobilized tactical teams alongside troops from the Army Forward Operating Base (FOB).
Security forces engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle, ultimately overpowering the hoodlums.
The suspected criminals fled into a nearby forest, abandoning 78 rustled cows, which are currently being processed for return to their rightful owners.
In a separate incident on May 16, 2026, police tracked a syndicate specializing in domestic animal theft following a midnight robbery in the More area, where 19 sheep were stolen from a local resident, Aliyu Bello.
Using traditional footprint tracking techniques, a patrol team followed the trail to a residence in Badageni Village, Kware LGA.
The operation led to the recovery of all the stolen sheep and the arrest of three family members: Ibrahim Aliyu (40), Rabiatu Ibrahim (20), and Aisha Ibrahim (15).
During interrogation, Rabiatu Ibrahim confessed that two prime suspects, identified as Auwalu and Juli, brought the stolen sheep to their home. A manhunt has been launched to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
Reacting to the successful operations, the Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, CP Hayatu Hassan Shaffa, reiterated the Command’s unwavering commitment to completely rid the state of banditry, kidnapping, and auxiliary crimes.
The CP urged residents to sustain the momentum by continuously providing timely, actionable, and credible intelligence to security agencies to prevent crime before it occurs.
