Five persons suspected to be supplying bandits with petroleum products, have been arrested by the Katsina State Police command.
The police spokesperson in the state, SP Gambo Isah, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, in Katsina.
“On Sept 18, 2021, based on credible intelligence, the command succeeded in arresting a 32-year-old man from Maradi, Niger Republic, conveying fuel in a Passat vehicle.
“Another 28-year-old man, a resident of Magamar Jibia, was also arrested conveying fuel in his Passat vehicle.
“The command was also able to arrest a 50-year-old man, a resident of Daddara village, in Jibia Local Government Area (LGA), also suspected to be conveying fuel in his Golf III car.
“We also succeeded in arresting a 57-year-old man, of Kofar Guga Quarters, conveying fuel in his vehicle.
“Nemesis caught up with the suspects when they were all arrested along Katsina – Jibia road while on their way into the forest,” Isa said.
According to him, in the course of the investigation, the suspects confessed to selling the fuel on the fringes of the forest, contrary to the Executive order and other extant laws of the Federation.
He added that the command had also succeeded in arresting a 25-year-old suspect of Anguwan Nakaba village, Sabuwa LGA, believed to be a supplier of fuel to bandits in the forest.
“The fact of the matter was that the suspect was observed to have been frequently coming to buy fuel at a filling station in Dandume LGA in his motorcycle, a Jincheng rubber.
“Consequently, police detectives on surveillance patrol at the said filling station secretly followed him, which led them into an uncompleted building where he was arrested while transferring the fuel into a Jerry can.
“In the course of the investigation, the suspect confessed to the commission of the offense and further stated that he came all the way from Sabuwa LGA to buy the fuel and take it to the forest,” he said.
