Photo caption: Bandits
A 50-year-old man, Bashar Abubakar, from Gwarzo town in Gwarzo Local Government Area of Kano State, has admitted to supplying food and fuel to suspected bandits in Katsina State.
PUNCH Metro gathered on Thursday that the suspect was apprehended by members of the local vigilante group in the community.
In a video obtained by PUNCH Metro and shared by security analyst and counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama, the suspect, Abubakar, was seen speaking in Hausa while in the custody of the community guards.
During the interview, he confessed to supplying petrol to the criminal group on at least one occasion.
“I gave them petrol once; it was up to one gallon,” he said.
When questioned about a woman who reportedly used to deliver the fuel, Abubakar claimed ignorance of her identity.
“The woman is one of them. They sent her to collect the items from me. I don’t know her name, wallahi,” he stated.
Beyond fuel, Abubakar confirmed he also bought and supplied various food items to the group.
“I bought soft drinks, pure water, bread, rice, and other stuff for them,” he said.
According to him, he did not deliver the items personally, but the bandits usually came into town to collect them.
“They normally come to pick up the stuff. Sometimes, they come to Alhaji Bello’s place to collect them,” he explained.
Asked whether he believed his actions were justified, Abubakar did not offer a direct answer but acknowledged the activities of the group, including the imposition of levies.
“That boy that they asked to pay the ransom; it was the Fulani that fixed the levy,” he said, although he claimed to have forgotten the exact amount collected.
He added that the boy in question had been accused of stealing diesel from trucks and was judged by the group.
“He was caught stealing diesel from big trucks. Judgment was passed on him,” Abubakar said.
However, he distanced himself from the decision, saying, “Wallahi, they are the ones that changed the judgement.”
When asked if he received any benefit from his cooperation with the group, he replied, “They didn’t give me anything.”
Abubakar confirmed that everything he had said during the interview was true. “They are all true,” he concluded.
The spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, told our correspondent on Thursday that he would verify the details of the incident and provide further information regarding the legal actions to be taken against the suspect.
He had yet to provide the information as of the time of filing this report on Thursday evening.
