By Barnabas Augustine
Police officers stopped a woman's car on the busy road between Abuja and Kaduna. They were carrying out routine checks when they made a startling find. Hidden in a sack of garri, a type of local flour, was a deadly AK-47 rifle and several magazines of bullets.
The woman, a 30-year-old named Hauwa Yusuf from Katsina state, was promptly arrested. She claimed to be unaware of the weapon's presence, stating she was simply transporting the garri on behalf of someone else. However, the police believe she was working for a notorious bandit known as Aminu Basullube, who operates in the Katsina area.
In a separate incident, another man was apprehended. This individual had mysteriously returned to his village with a large sum of money, which he used to buy numerous motorbikes and cows. It turned out he was a cattle thief who had been part of a criminal gang operating in the Kaduna region. The man confessed to his crimes and revealed the identity of his gang leader.
These two cases highlight the ongoing battle against crime in Nigeria. The police are working hard to disrupt the activities of criminal gangs and bring them to justice.
This story is contained in a press statement by the Police Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi
The statement read in part:
“On August 14, 2024, just recently, acting on intelligence, operatives of STS intercepted one Hauwa Yusuf ‘F’ 30 years of Dutsin-Ma LGA of Katsina state. The suspect was arrested while in transit from Lafia Nasarawa State to Katsina State, inside a Sienna Bus along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
“A search was conducted and One AK-47 Rifle without breach Number and Four AK magazines concealed inside a white Sack of Garri were recovered from the suspect. “During the interrogation, the Suspect confessed that it was One Aminu Basullube, a notorious Bandit terrorizing Katsina State general axis who sent her to take delivery of the arms in Danum Madam Camp, Katsina State.”
The apprehended suspect Hauwa Yusuf narrated her own part of the story to journalists:
“I never knew that it was an arm that was inside. They asked me to go and bring millet. And unfortunately, they did not bring Gari for me. Even when I saw the thing, I was apprehensive.
“I was given 130,000 to take the garri to Katsina. My transport fare is ₦15,000. I made a mistake by not asking questions.”
The force spokesman statement on the second crime read:
"A team of operatives attached to the FID-STS left for Igbowo in Oyo state to investigate the activities of Musa Saidu on April 29.
"Investigation revealed that the suspect had left his community for 5 years. Upon his return back to his community in Kigakwu, Kaduna state after his disappearance.
"He started spending money extravagantly, buying different brands of new motorcycles (BAJAJ) and twelve (12) cows in a day amounting to the sum of N5,000,000.00.
“Upon interrogation, he confessed to the above-mentioned crimes, he further confessed that he is operating under the leadership of one Haruna ‘m’ in Birnin Gwari forest of Kaduna State. Throughout his operations under the gang Commander Haruna ‘m’ he was using AK 47 rifles.
“That twenty-five (25) cows were given to him as his proceed of his above mentioned criminal activities, that he sold the cows in Kaduna State, all at the rate of N4,700,000.00, that’s the money he used in purchasing the Bajaj motorcycles and twelve cows, ten female, two male in Igboho Oyo State".
He explained that he became a cattle rustler after he fell victim.
The suspect told journalists while fielding their questions that:
“I went to Oyo because there were too many problems in Kaduna. I had my cattle but they were rustled. I know cattle rustling is a crime but I did it because of what was done to me. After I made money, I stopped and went back to the village to spend my money.”