April 24, (THEWILL) — The Sokoto State Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its sustained offensive against banditry and organised crime, arresting a suspected terror financier and intercepting stolen livestock linked to a notorious criminal network operating within the state.
The suspect, identified as Aminu Mai Roba, was apprehended along the Ruwa Wuri–Tangaza Road while transporting four cows allegedly traced to the Lakurawa terrorist group active in Tangaza Local Government Area.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing, the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Shaffa, disclosed that the arrest followed credible intelligence, which enabled operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to trail and intercept the suspect.
According to the police chief, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect played a critical role in the group’s logistics and financing structure. He reportedly confessed to receiving the cattle from members of the terrorist group with instructions to sell them and remit the proceeds to sustain their operations.
The recovered livestock has since been registered as exhibits, while investigations are ongoing to identify and dismantle the wider network of collaborators and financiers supporting banditry in the state.
The Commissioner explained that the development formed part of a broader operational update highlighting recent successes recorded by the Command in tackling violent crime, in line with directives from the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, particularly on proactive policing, discipline, and coordinated security operations.
Providing further details, CP Shaffa revealed that police tactical teams, working in collaboration with other security operatives, successfully repelled a bandit attack on Kwarengamba and Gayya da Kwari villages in Sabon Birni Local Government Area on April 8, 2026.
He said the operatives engaged the attackers in a fierce gun duel, forcing them to retreat with gunshot wounds. During the pursuit, the fleeing bandits abandoned a sack containing 167 rounds of live ammunition, which were subsequently recovered by security personnel.
In another decisive operation carried out on April 15, 2026, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit conducted coordinated raids on suspected criminal hideouts in Dogon Daji (Tambuwal LGA), Mallamawa (Kware LGA), and Giyawa (Goronyo LGA), leading to the arrest of three suspects.
Items recovered during the raids included seven locally made Dane guns, an AK-47 magazine, a military uniform, cutlasses, and substances suspected to be Indian hemp. The arrested suspects have since been charged to court, underscoring the Command’s commitment to ensuring that criminal elements are brought to justice.
CP Shaffa emphasised that the Command’s recent gains were made possible through strengthened collaboration with the military, community guards, and vigilante groups, which has significantly enhanced intelligence gathering and operational effectiveness.
Reaffirming the Command’s resolve, the Commissioner assured residents that the police remain strategically positioned and fully committed to tackling all forms of criminality across Sokoto State.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information, assuring that all tips would be handled with strict confidentiality.
“The Command will continue to intensify intelligence-driven operations and community policing efforts to ensure that no criminal element finds safe haven in Sokoto State”, he stated.
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