Security operatives in Sokoto State have dealt a dual blow to criminals operating in the region, arresting a suspected drug trafficker and successfully neutralizing an armed bandit assault in two major operations.
The breakthroughs began along the Kebbi-Sokoto Road during a routine stop-and-search operation conducted by officers from the Bado Division. Police intercepted a motorcycle carrying two men. While one of the individuals managed to evade arrest and flee the scene, officers successfully apprehended the rider, identified as Ummaru Abubakar Gugare. A search of the unregistered motorcycle uncovered a sack filled with illicit substances, including a large quantity of Indian hemp alongside controlled pharmaceutical tablets such as Axzol, Benthexol, and D5.
Days later, the Sokoto State Police Command responded to an emergency situation when a band of armed bandits launched a coordinated raid on three communities in Wamakko Local Government Area, targeting Zabori, Tambaranga, and Gidan Yero villages.
Instead of a standard pursuit, the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit anticipated the criminals’ movements and set up an ambush near Abdalo Forest in Gwadabawa Local Government Area, effectively cutting off their retreat. A fierce gun battle ensued. Overwhelmed by the tactical response, the bandits fled deep into the forest, leaving behind trails of blood that indicated several of them sustained gunshot wounds.
During the chaos of the retreat, police operatives captured one of the suspects, Musa Usman, a resident of Damba Village in Illela Local Government Area. Officers also recovered eleven cows and five sheep that had been rustled from the raided communities.
Zoyols News gathered that the recovered livestock is currently being held by the authorities as they work to identify the rightful owners and return the animals. Meanwhile, the Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed that investigations into both the drug trafficking arrest and the village raids are wide open, with tracking teams actively hunting down the remaining suspects who fled the scenes.
