Two individuals suspected of supplying fuel to bandits in neighbouring Bauchi State have been arrested in Gombe State.
According to a post shared on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama on Thursday, the suspects were apprehended on Wednesday at around 4:30 a.m. during a stop-and-search operation along the Kashere-Futuk Road in Akko Local Government Area.
“The operation followed intelligence reports indicating that bandits terrorising parts of Bauchi were sourcing fuel from Gombe,” Makama wrote.
“Security operatives intercepted a red-tinted Golf 3 vehicle with registration number GME 221 XA, loaded with 29 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)”.
“The vehicle’s driver, 20-year-old Aliyu Usman from Futuk Village in Alkaleri LGA of Bauchi, reportedly fled the scene and escaped,” he wrote.
Two passengers, Bello Abdullahi, 52, and Sulaiman Musa, 40, both from Futuk Village, were also arrested at the scene.
The suspects claimed that the fuel had been purchased in Billiri, Gombe State.
The police seized the vehicle along with 29 jerrycans of fuel as evidence, and investigations are ongoing to determine the suspects’ alleged involvement in supplying fuel to criminal elements.