The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Dalijan, has revealed the arrest of a sitting member of the State House of Assembly and a former local government chairman in connection with banditry activities in the state.
Dalijan made the announcement on Wednesday during a visit by Thomas Parker, the officer in charge of the Counterterrorism Unit under the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, at the command headquarters in Gusau, the state capital.
However, he did not disclose the names of the arrested individuals.
The commissioner also urged the United Nations to establish a forensic laboratory in Zamfara to eliminate the need for sending forensic analyses to Lagos. He appealed for the UN’s assistance in replicating the support provided in Maiduguri, particularly in terms of training on investigation and establishing forensic laboratories to expedite the investigation and prosecution of suspected criminals.
Dalijan noted that crime rates have decreased in the state due to ongoing efforts by security agencies, in collaboration with Community Protection Guards, to eliminate suspected terrorists who have migrated from Maiduguri to Zamfara in Northwest Nigeria.
Thomas Parker stated that the UN delegation’s visit was in response to Governor Dauda Lawal’s appeal for assistance in addressing the state’s insecurity. Parker highlighted the UN’s readiness to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the security situation to understand the causes and challenges, aiming to develop effective solutions to mitigate the threats.
