GUSAU — Operatives of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards, CPG, have arrested alleged bandit informants and recovered several newly acquired walkie-talkies, security expert Bakatsine has reported.
Bakatsine disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Monday, stating that the suspects were allegedly providing intelligence and other forms of support to bandit groups operating in the state.
According to the post, those arrested include the informants, a traditional healer, a medical practitioner alleged to be treating injured bandits, and a fake lawyer.
”Banditry is not sustained by gunmen alone. Civilian support networks can provide the intelligence, communication, medical care and other assistance that keep these criminal groups operating,” Bakatsine wrote.
Security analysts say such support networks are critical to the survival of bandit groups. They cite roles such as intelligence gathering on security movements, provision of communication gadgets to coordinate attacks, medical treatment for wounded fighters, and logistics including food and ransom collection.
The arrests come amid ongoing operations by the CPG and other security agencies to dismantle bandit structures across Zamfara and other North-West states.
Bakatsine further raised questions on the extent of the civilian networks enabling banditry, asking: “How widespread are these support networks, and what more can be done to identify and dismantle those enabling bandits from within communities?”
Authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the arrests as of press time.
Zamfara CPG Arrests Alleged Bandit Informants, Medical Enablers, Recovers Walkie-Talkies
