The Zamfara State Police Command has apprehended 12 suspected political thugs, bandits and arm dealers.
The police command also recovered one AK-47 Rifle, a cutlass, four-locally-fabricated guns; seven cartridges, 100 rounds of live ammunition, and some materials suspected to be charms from the suspects.
The spokesperson of the Police command, SP Muhammad Shehu, confirmed this development on Tuesday at a press briefing in Gusau.
Shehu narrated that on Oct.15 and at about 6.15 p.m., the police command got a intelligence call that armed political thugs were carrying sophisticated weapons and were shooting sporadically at innocent people in Gusau.
He added that the incident triggered the death killing of one person and 11 other persons sustained various degrees of injuries.
He said the injured have been hospitalized and are currently receiving medical attention at Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau.
“The command, in an effort to curtail the situation and arrest the perpetrators, reinforced its tactical operatives.
“On sighting the police operatives, the hoodlums started shooting and, thereby, putting the lives of the police operatives and innocent citizens in danger.
“The police operatives, however, acted professionally and used minimum force which led to the arrest of five suspects in possession of locally-fabricated guns, while others fled”, Shehu said.
He also revealed that on Oct. 15 and at about 4.00 p.m., police tactical men, while conducting surveillance along Tsafe – Funtua Road and acting on intelligence report, encountered two motorcycles carrying two passengers each.
“The suspects were arrested and found on them the walkie-talkie which they used to communicate with their other members during their operations.
“Intelligence about them revealed that they were among the hoodlums that used to terrorise commuters along Tsafe – Funtua Road by attacking, killing and kidnapping innocent people.
“The police also learnt that they also belong to a notorious syndicate that made life unbearable in several villages in Tsafe LGA and its environ”, the PPRO added.
“The suspect was arrested while in transit back from Jos to Kucheri in Tsafe where he was to deliver arms and ammunition to a notorious bandit leader called Chumo.
” A search was conducted on the spot, and the exhibits in his possession were recovered.
“The suspect mentioned some of his collaborators to include one Bitrus Bulus, known as Peter, and one Weng Adamu, both males from Jos South LGA of Plateau, as his partners in crime.
” The same suspect also confessed to the police that he had been into arm-supply business where he often collected arms and ammunition from one James in Jos, now at large, and deliver them to the bandit leaders terrorising Tsafe – Funtua Road as well as attack villages and communities in Tsafe and Mada,” he said.