Police arrests women trafficking fuel to bandits, uncovers popular quarters where business thrives

Three women carrying fuel in containers concealed in bags, heading for the forest, have been arrested by a team of policemen along the Katsina-Jibia road.

Katsina Police Command’s spokesperson SP. Isah Gambo paraded the three suspects at the state police headquarters on Thursday.

The women claimed they live at the Malali Quarters, in Katsina metropolis.

Buying fuel in containers as well as selling above N5000 at once have been baned in Katsina in an attempt by the state to block the flow of sustenance to bandits in the forest.

But the locals have been skirting that regulation.

“What they do is engaging in smuggling of petrol to bandits in Jibia forest but nemesis caught up with them and they were arrested with these exhibits,” Gambo said.

“These exhibits you are seeing are not just travelling bags but they are loaded with petrol meant to be taken to the forest for the bandits.

“The suspects are Umma Bello, 45 years of Malali Quarters here in Katsina metropolis, Nusaiba Muhammad, 16 years and Dija Umar 50 years all of the same address.

Gamo added that the suspects revealed that many of them in the area are involved in the business.

“What they do is to engage the services of ‘okada’, motorcycle riders to buy the fuel for them in their motorcycle tanks from filling stations and then take it back to Malali quarters for them where they siphon the fuel from the motorcycle tanks and then arrange them into bags like these to avoid the eagle eyes of the security agencies while taking it to the forest to sell to bandits,” SP Isah Gambo said.