National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Operatives from the Special Tactical Squad (STS) have apprehended 30-year-old Hauwa Yusuf for concealing an AK-47 rifle and four AK magazines inside a sack of garri. Yusuf was arrested along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway during a routine stop-and-search operation.
Force spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi announced the arrest while presenting suspects at the STS Headquarters in Abuja on Friday. According to Adejobi, Yusuf confessed that she was sent by a notorious bandit, Aminu Basullube, who has been terrorizing Katsina State. She was tasked with delivering the arms to the Danum Madam Camp area of Katsina State.
Adejobi detailed, “On August 14, 2024, acting on intelligence, our operatives intercepted Hauwa Yusuf, a resident of Dutsin-Ma LGA in Katsina State, while she was traveling from Lafia, Nasarawa State to Katsina State in a Sienna Bus along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway. During the search, we found an AK-47 rifle and four AK magazines hidden inside a white sack of garri.”
During interrogation, Yusuf claimed she was unaware of the concealed weapons. She explained, “I had no idea there was a gun inside the sack. I was instructed to transport millet, but since it wasn’t available, I was given garri instead. I was given ₦130,000 for the delivery, and my transport fare was ₦15,000. I regret not asking more questions.”
In a separate investigation, Adejobi revealed that Musa Saidu, a suspect under the FID-STS watch, had been away from his community for five years. Upon returning to Kigakwu in Kaduna State, Saidu was found to have made extravagant purchases, including new motorcycles and twelve cows worth N5,000,000.00.
Saidu confessed to operating under gang leader Haruna in the Birnin Gwari forest and using AK-47 rifles for his criminal activities. He admitted that he sold twenty-five cows for N4,700,000.00, which he used to buy motorcycles and additional cattle.
Saidu said he turned to cattle rustling after his own cattle were stolen. He stated, “I went to Oyo because of the issues in Kaduna. My cattle were rustled, and while I know cattle rustling is wrong, I did it out of retaliation. After making money, I returned to my village to enjoy the proceeds.”
