The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, in a statement explained that the police command succeeded in apprehending a 32-year-old man from Maradi, Niger Republic, transporting fuel in a Volkswagen Passat vehicle on 18th September 2021.
He added, “Another 28-year-old man, a resident of Magamar Jibia, was also arrested conveying fuel in his Passat vehicle.”
According to the PPRO, 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.
He explained that a 57-year-old man from Kofar Guga Quarters, conveying fuel in his vehicle was also arrested by operatives.
He said luck ran out with the suspects as they were all arrested along Katsina-Jibia road while on their way into the forest.
The PPRO said in the course of 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 explained that the command also apprehended a 25-year-old suspect of Anguwan Nakaba village, Sabuwa Local Government Area, believed to be a supplier of fuel to bandits in the forest.
SP Gambo Isah further explained that the suspect was noticed to have been frequently coming to buy fuel at a filling station in Dandume Local Government Area on his Jincheng motorcycle.
He said the 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.
He added that in the course of investigation, the suspect confessed to the commission of the offense and further stated that he came all the way from Sabuwa to buy the fuel and take it to the forest.
The PPRO stated that the command arrested a 30-year-old man from Sabon Garin MotsoMotso, Zandam village, Jibia local government area, suspected to be a notorious informer who specialised in supplying bread to bandits in the forest.
He said after several warnings by both community leaders and security agencies asking him to stop supplying bread to bandits in the forest, the suspect was subsequently arrested with some quantity of bread concealed inside a sack while trying to enter the forest.
He said that the suspect also confessed to committing the offense, as investigations are ongoing.
