The Zamfara State Police Command has arrested a 57-year-old suspected bandit said to be loyal to a notorious kingpin known as Kachalla.
Six other suspected bandits were also apprehended, while five kidnap victims were rescued during recent operations.
Police Commissioner Ibrahim Maikaba, who paraded the suspects in Gusau, said the 57-year-old man was arrested in Damba community, Gusau Local Government Area. According to him, the suspect had participated in several abductions, including incidents along the Tsafe–Funtua highway and Yan Dotto community.
The Commissioner disclosed that 33 rifles concealed in a sack of oranges were intercepted inside a Toyota Corolla along the Gummi–Sokoto road.
The firearms were reportedly being transported to bandits’ hideouts in Gurusu village.
Also recovered were 228 rounds of live ammunition, four empty AK-47 magazines and nine sacks of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
Maikaba said the operation reflected the Command’s commitment to tackling insecurity in the state, assuring that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing accomplices.
