The police in Katsina State on Thursday arrested a self-acclaimed inspector with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), with five other suspects and seized 164 allegedly stolen cattle.
The immigration officer, Abubakar Shafiu, who was paraded in Katsina with other suspects, told newsmen that the men – Mohammad Isah, Ibrahim Mohammed, Idris Mohammad, Usman Mohammed and Saidu Lawal – were his relatives based in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Besides, Shafiu who claimed to be a staff of the procurement department of NIS in Abuja, on annual leave, disclosed that he had escorted some truckloads of cattle out of Zamfara before their arrest.
He, however, denied that the cattle were stolen but were being conveyed to Potiskum and Bunu Yadi in Yobe State, by their owners as a result of bandits’ activities in Zamfara State.
The Police Command Spokesperson, Gambo Isah, however, confirmed that ” the suspects were intercepted on Thursday at about 1.30 am at Jibia in Katsina State based on credible intelligence by a combined team of the Nigerian Customs personnel and the police while conveying three truckloads of the suspected rustled cows with Shafiu escorting them.”
“Investigation is ongoing in this matter; we all know so many cows have been rustled in Katsina and Zamfara States, and precisely, we know that Zurmi is a hideout of so many criminals.
“We are not relenting, we are going to investigate the sources of these cows and ensure that anyone of the suspects found wanting is taken to court for prosecution,” he said.
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