By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Sokoto State Police Command has neutralised two suspected bandits and arrested 11 other suspects in separate operations against banditry, motorcycle theft and other crimes across the state.
The command disclosed that the operations, conducted between Friday, 14 August, and Saturday, 15 August, 2026, led to the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, 54 rounds of live ammunition, magazines, a locally fabricated pistol and 14 stolen motorcycles.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, 20 August, 2026 explaining that the operations included a successful response to an attempted bandit attack on Dankadu Village in Illela Local Government Area.
According to the statement, police received a distress call at about 9pm on August 15, 2026, that armed bandits were advancing from Tsauana Forest towards Dankadu Village, prompting the immediate deployment of operatives from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Volunteer Constabulary and Rescue Unit, and other tactical teams to the area.
The command explained that officers engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel that lasted for a considerable time, disclosing that the bandits, overwhelmed by the security personnel’s superior firepower, fled into the forest with gunshot wounds.
It added that a subsequent search of the area led to the neutralisation of two fleeing suspects and the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, two magazines and 54 rounds of live ammunition.
The police stated that no security operative or resident was killed during the operation, adding that confidence-building patrols were ongoing to reassure residents of their safety.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, three suspects were arrested in connection with a motorcycle theft syndicate operating around the Kwannawa and Tamaje areas of Sokoto metropolis.
The suspects were identified as Siba Abdullahi of Dimbiso Village, Wurno Local Government Area; Hassan Hassan of Tamaje; and Usama Isah of Ungwar Rogo, with police disclosing that five stolen motorcycles and a locally fabricated pistol were recovered from their premises.
The command further explained that its Strike Force arrested other suspects allegedly linked to a wider network involved in motorcycle theft, extortion, forgery and receiving stolen property, following complaints from community leaders in Mana Babba, Mabera, Anguwar Rogo and Tamaje over increasing cases of motorcycle theft and other criminal activities.
The suspects allegedly confessed to conspiring with other members of the syndicate, some of whom remain at large, to trespass and steal motorcycles.
Further investigations led to the arrest of alleged buyers of the stolen motorcycles, identified as Abubakar Aliyu, Abdullahi Bashar and Zakariya Ibrahim, with the command disclosing that a total of nine stolen motorcycles had been recovered in connection with the syndicate.
The police added that efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate.
Commenting on the operations, the Commissioner of Police, Sokoto State Command, CP Hassan Hayatu Shaffa, commended the personnel involved for their professionalism, bravery and swift response, stressing that the command remained committed to dismantling criminal networks operating in the state.
He warned that all criminals operating within the state would be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice, urging residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to the police.
The commissioner also cautioned members of the public against purchasing stolen motorcycles, warning that anyone found patronising stolen property would face prosecution.
