From Yakubu Mustapha Minna
Niger State Police Commissioner of Police Shawulu Ebenezer Danmamman has paraded a suspected bandit leader, Umar Aliyu, aka Babuga Dattijo.
He was paraded with four suspected informants and the sum of N5 million was recovered from them.
Danmamman, while parading the suspects at his maiden press briefing in Minna, said a total of 19 suspects involved in kidnapping, criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms, and cattle rustling were arrested in recent times in the state.
He explained that the notorious bandit Dattijo, 37, of Kwali, FCT Abuja, was nabbed based on credible information by police operatives attached to the Nasko Division in Salka, Magama Local Government Area.
The suspect further confessed that he belonged to Poyi’s group of bandits after the deaths of his members at Shagamu.
He mentioned and provided the numbers of other members of the gang as Maidabo and Sha’ibu Haruna, aka Falalu of Garatu.”
The Commissioner of Police also revealed that following his arrest, Dattijo’s gang members attempted to attack Nasko Division on November 27, 2023, to rescue their leader but were repelled. Unknown to them, however, their leader had been moved to the State Police Headquarters in Minna.
He further said that in a follow-up investigation into the attack with the aid of technical intelligence, Motse Mohammed, 47, and Aliya Mohammed, 48, both of Salka Magama LGA, were arrested as informants of bandits.
