The Katsina police command has said it has arrested 999 suspects in connection with 608 cases out of which 65 were kidnappers and 244 were cattle rustlers.
Banditry, a code use for kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, Killing of innocent people, has been on the rise in Katsina and other northwest states of Nigeria.
Speaking to newsmen Thursday evening at the command headquarters, the state commissioner of Police, Sanusi Buba, said 20 stolen motor vehicles were also recovered while 18 motorcycles thieves were also apprehended.
Mr Buba said out of the 65 bandits, 63 have been charged to court while 12 are still under investigation.
230 cattle rustlers were charged to court while 14 suspects are under investigation.
While the command has lost five of its officers, 38 bandits were killed during gun battles and 1,243 domestic animals recovered from the neutralized rustlers and 215 abducted victims rescued from different bandits dens in the state.
‘Rape, unnatural offences’
Mr Buba said in the period under review, the police succeeded in arresting 246 suspects in 195 reported cases of rape and unnatural offence.
63 victims of human trafficking were also rescued in four reported cases.
He said many arms and ammunitions were also recovered including; four GPMG, 44 AK 47 rifles, 1 LAR riffle, 1 G3 rifle, 20 locally made guns, 689 rounds of 7.62mm ammunitions of AK 47 riffle and 109 Anti Air craft ammunition.
