The police public relations officer in the state, SP Gambo Isah, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Tuesday, in Katsina.
Isah said the command succeeded in arresting a 32-year-old man from Maradi, Niger Republic, conveying fuel in a Passat vehicle on Sept 18, 2021.
He added that another 28-year-old man, a resident of Magamar Jibia, was also arrested conveying fuel in his Passat vehicle.
“The command was also able to arrest a 50-year-old man, a resident of Daddara village, in Jibia Local Government Area (LGA), also suspected to be conveying fuel in his Golf III car.
“We also succeeded in arresting a 57-year-old man suspect, of Kofar Guga Quarters, conveying fuel in his vehicle.
“Nemesis caught up with the suspects when they were all arrested along Katsina-Jibia road while on their way into the forest,” Isa said.
“In the course of investigation, the suspects confessed to selling the fuel on the fringes of the forest, contrary to the Executive order and other extant laws of the Federation,” he said.
He added that the command had also arrested a 25-year-old suspect of Anguwan Nakaba village, Sabuwa LGA, believed to be a supplier of fuel to bandits in the forest.
“The fact of the matter was that the suspect was observed to have been frequently coming to buy fuel at a filling station in Dandume LGA in his Jincheng motorcycle.
“Consequently, police detectives on surveillance patrol at the said filling station secretly followed him, which led them into an uncompleted building where he was arrested while transferring the fuel into a Jerry can.
“In the course of investigation, the suspect confessed to the commission of the offense and further stated that he came all the way from Sabuwa LGA to buy the fuel and take it to the forest.” he said.
Similarly, the command arrested a 30-year-old man from Sabon Garin MotsoMotso, Zandam village, Jibia LGA, suspected to be a notorious informer who specialised in supplying bread to bandits in the forest.
“After several warnings by both community leaders and security agencies asking him to stop supplying bread to bandits in the forest, the suspect was subsequently arrested with some quantity of bread concealed inside a sack while trying to enter the forest.
The suspect also confessed to committing the offense, as investigations are ongoing, according to Isah.
