Police said they had arrested four bandits’ commanders who admitted they were close to Muhammadu Lawali alias General, the leader of the dreaded group of gunmen terrorising Zamfara State and neighbouring states.
Parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Gusau at the weekend, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Sanusi Amiru, said the team of Police Mobile Personnel (PMP) patrolling Keta forest in Tsafe Local Government Area engaged the bandits where four commanders were arrested while the rest escaped into the forest. He said:
One of the suspects, Adamu Shehu, told journalists that he was in charge of feeding all the stolen cows in possession of the ring leader, Lawali, while his colleagues identified as Saminu Jamilu and Ibrahim Musa were the ones training militants.
According to Musa, who claimed to be from Birnin Magaji Local Government Area, said he was abducted by gunmen after killing many people, including his parents, during one of the most merciless attacks in the village.
He added that he had been in their custody for 15 years.The PPRO listed items recovered from the suspects to include 160 cows and sheep, one pump action gun with 200 rounds of cartridge, one locallymade revolver rifle, one round of 7.62 mm live ammunition, three axes, five cartridges, two knives and N38,000 cash.
Others were six wraps of Indian hemp, a ring, one handset, three lighters, two packets of cigarettes, two torches, clothes, foodstuffs, two caps and two mats. Amiru said the case was still under investigation.
