Police arrest bandit courier, recover 109 rounds of ammunition in Kano

Kano State Police Command has arrested a suspected bandit allegedly transporting ammunition and military items to criminal groups operating in the bush, recovering an AK-47 magazine, 109 rounds of live ammunition and military uniforms during an operation in Bichi Local Government Area.

The suspect, Mohammed Isah Haruna, 28, from Dan Dinshe Yamma Quarters in Dala Local Government Area, was apprehended on Saturday following intelligence provided by residents of Rimaye Village in Bichi.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, the Police Public Relations Officer in Kano, operatives from the Bichi Divisional Police Headquarters, working alongside members of the Rimawa community, responded to a report of a man seen wearing what appeared to be a military uniform.

The police intercepted the suspect and searched his belongings, recovering one AK-47 magazine loaded with 30 rounds of live ammunition, an additional 79 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, two sets of suspected military uniforms, three military caps, a suspected fake military identity card, one National Identity Card, a National Identification Number slip, a voter’s card, four ATM cards and a pair of desert boots.

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Police said preliminary investigation showed that the suspect confessed to being in the area to deliver the recovered items to bandits operating in nearby forests.

Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, the Commissioner of Police in Kano State, commended residents of the Rimawa community for providing timely information that led to the arrest.
He said the operation demonstrated the importance of collaboration between security agencies and local communities in tackling insecurity, urging residents across the state to continue sharing credible intelligence with law enforcement authorities.

Bakori added that the suspect remains in police custody while investigators work to identify and arrest other members of the criminal network allegedly linked to the recovered exhibits.

He said the command had commenced a discreet investigation aimed at dismantling the syndicate behind the supply of arms and military gear to bandits, noting that the suspect would be prosecuted after the conclusion of the investigation.

The police commissioner reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-driven and community-based policing across Kano’s 44 local government areas, saying efforts to combat banditry and other violent crimes would be sustained.

The command also appealed to members of the public to continue supporting security agencies by reporting suspicious movements and activities, stressing that community participation remains critical to preventing criminal operations across the state.