By Ado Hassan, Sokoto
The Sokoto police command on Friday said it arrested a gang of five notorious armed bandits near Boto village in Gudu local government area of the state.
Those arrested according to the command spokesperson, ASP Cordelia Nwawe while addressing newsmen include Mohammed Zarno, Usman Abdullahi, Mohammed Bello, Audu Gamde Kwai and Abdullahi Abubakar” the five suspects were arrested following attack on their victims; Yusuf Adamu, Hadiza Muhammed, Shehu Muhammed and Nasiru Usman.”
Nwawe said the victims were on a journey from Niger Republic to Sokoto when the bandits armed with cutlasses, knife and Matchet, dispossessed them of the sum of N289,720, four mobile phones, clothes and provisions.
” We have recovered a torch light used during the operation and efforts are on to recover their firearms and track others who fled to neighbouring Niger Republic”, She vowed.
In the same vein, Nwawe confirmed the arrest of two Fidelity Bank personnel, Mudassiru Taofeek and Perez Percy for forgery and impersonation as NIMC officials.
Also arrested a business centre operator, Abdussamad Lawal and his assistants, Shitu Isiaka and Priscilla Kuhwa who confessed to the team of police operatives that the have been printing NIMC slips and cards for years.
Nwawe said the bank personnel had confessed that they were in the business for close to five years.
According to the police spokesperson” the two bank personnel are with the Kano road, Sokoto branch who demanded from one Nasiru Bello Sifawa N4,000 to issue him a National Identity card which will enable him open an account with the bank. The victim was issued with a temporary slip which he eventually took to NIMC office in Bodinga local government where it was discovered it was forged.
” Perez confessed that he took the details of the victim to a business centre on Ahmadu Bello Way, Sokoto
where such NIMC are produced at the cost of N1,500.”
She however, said investigations were ongoing after which they would be charged to court while reiterating the determination of the police command to ensure a crime free Sokoto state and urged the public to keep the police informed of strange activities within their places of residents
