The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old man identified as Jibrin Ali from Zandar, Niger Republic, for impersonating a military officer and suspected involvement in banditry within the Yankari Game Reserve, Alkeleri Local Government Area.
According to a statement released on Friday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Ahmed Wakil, the suspect was apprehended during a routine patrol by detectives from the Alkeleri Divisional Police Headquarters in collaboration with local security operatives.
Wakil noted that the suspect was found dressed as a military personnel and behaving suspiciously in a region notorious for banditry. Upon interrogation, Ali failed to provide a credible explanation for his presence in the forest, heightening suspicions of links to criminal groups operating in the area.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to launch a full-scale probe into the suspect’s activities.
In a separate incident, police operatives intercepted a trailer loaded with over 1,000 bags of 25kg iodized salt—valued at over N10 million—allegedly diverted. Two suspects, identified as Sadik Jidda and Ibrahim Ahmad, were arrested during the operation, while the truck driver reportedly fled and remains at large.
Commending the swift actions of his officers, CP Aliyu reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to eradicating criminal elements and ensuring public safety across Bauchi State.
