Sokoto State Police Command has intensified its security operations with the arrest of individuals accused of funding bandits and running a motorcycle theft network across two states.
The breakthrough began in Zamfara, where operatives of the Command’s Strike Force stormed Talata Mafara and picked up several suspects believed to be part of a syndicate that specialises in stealing motorcycles in Sokoto and selling them across state lines. Two motorcycles earlier reported missing were recovered during the raid.
Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Musa, said the operation was part of efforts to dismantle criminal networks that have taken advantage of porous borders.
“We are expanding our operational reach because criminals no longer operate within one location,” he said. “Whether they hide in Sokoto or flee to Zamfara, they will be tracked. That era of escape is over.”
A separate operation in Tangaza Local Government Area later led to the arrest of three men allegedly involved in helping bandits convert rustled cattle into cash.
Police sources said the suspects reportedly served as financial conduits for a notorious group operating in the area.
According to the Command’s spokesman, Ahmed Rufai, the suspects, among them Ruwa Ginyo, the Fulani head of Gidan-Madi, were found with four cows believed to have been stolen by the bandits.
“Their role was to dispose of rustled livestock to raise funds for bandits,” Rufai said. “Targeting those who bankroll these groups is essential to weakening them.”
Musa urged livestock and motorcycle dealers to take verification seriously and to report suspicious buyers or sellers, noting that the police will continue to disrupt financial and logistical support for criminal groups.
