Operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) arrested a 30-year-old woman, Hauwa Yusuf, for attempting to smuggle an AK-47 rifle and four magazines hidden in a sack of garri.
The arrest occurred during a routine stop-and-search operation on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
Hauwa confessed that she was acting on instructions from Aminu Basullube, a notorious bandit terrorizing Katsina State, who had sent her to retrieve the weapons from Danum Madam Camp in Katsina.
Despite her confession, Hauwa later claimed she was unaware of the contents of the sack, insisting that she had been asked to transport millet instead of garri.
She explained that she was paid ₦130,000 for the job, with ₦15,000 allocated for transport, and admitted to making a mistake by not questioning the contents of the sack.
In a related operation, police uncovered a cattle rustling network connected to a man named Musa Saidu.
Saidu had returned to his community in Kigakwu, Kaduna State, after a five-year absence, where he began spending money lavishly, raising suspicions among the locals.
Police investigations revealed that Saidu had acquired his wealth through criminal activities, including the theft of cattle and the purchase of motorcycles.
Saidu confessed that he operated under the leadership of a gang commander named Haruna in Birnin Gwari Forest, Kaduna State.
Over time, Saidu accumulated 25 cows as his share of the gang’s criminal proceeds, which he later sold in Kaduna State for N4.7 million. He used the money to buy new motorcycles and additional cattle in Igboho, Oyo State.
During his interrogation, Saidu revealed that his involvement in cattle rustling stemmed from a personal experience where his own cattle were stolen.
He justified his actions as a form of retaliation, though he acknowledged the criminal nature of his activities. Saidu claimed that after accumulating his wealth, he retired from crime and returned to his village to enjoy the proceeds.
The police have continued their investigation into the activities of both Yusuf and Saidu, underscoring the ongoing security challenges in Nigeria, particularly concerning arms smuggling and cattle rustling.
The arrests are part of broader efforts to crack down on criminal networks operating across various states, particularly those linked to banditry and armed robbery.
The STS’s success in intercepting these criminal operations highlights the importance of intelligence-led policing and the challenges faced by security forces in curbing the spread of illegal arms and the persistence of banditry in Nigeria.
