Police Arrest Two For Treating, Supplying Drugs To Bandits in Niger

The police have arrested two people for allegedly giving medical treatment and supplying drugs to bandits in the Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.

Mariga LGA is one of the areas of the state where bandits and kidnappers have been operating for almost one year leaving several people killed, many others rendered homeless and scores of heads of cattle rustling.

Habila Abel Julius 25 years old and Abdullahi Garba were apprehended by security operatives after administering injection on some of the bandits.

It was gathered that the bandits had approached the duo at their chemist where they presented them with the injection to be administered on them.

After, the bandits according to police source asked the patent medicine dealers to be supplying them with the injection and other drugs that they did.

However, it was in the process of keeping to the deal that the police arrested them though the bandits were said to have escaped.

The patent medicine dealers did not deny the allegation but said they acted “under duress” because the bandits “threatened to kill us if we report to the police”.

One of the patent medicine dealers, however, confessed that they were paid for the transaction.

Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mohammad Abubakar confirmed the story saying an investigation into the crime was still ongoing.

Abubakar said the suspects had enough time to report to the police which they did not do discrediting their claim that they acted under duress.

In the meantime, six out of the 20 victims kidnapped during last Saturdays bandit raids on some communities in Borgu Local Government Area of the state have been rescued.

The police also arrested three people suspected to be acting as informants to the bandits.

The arrests were made by the Inspector General of Police Tactical Squad which was deployed to the area.

The Police declined to give details of the operation but it was gathered that the IGP Tactical squad were still in the forests searching for the bandits.