Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Katsina State Police Command announced on Monday, May 18, 2026, that it had arrested a 45‑year‑old man, Surajo Isyaku, who allegedly acted as an informant to armed bandits, participated in two kidnapping operations, rustled cattle, and took part in a deadly attack on Sayaya Village that claimed the life of a police officer. The suspect was apprehended three days earlier, on May 15, 2026, at about 4:00 p.m., after detectives acted on credible intelligence gathered by the Command, the police spokesperson, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said in a statement released on Monday.
Under interrogation, Isyaku reportedly confessed to a wide range of crimes that have plagued Matazu Local Government Area and its environs. He admitted that he was introduced to a notorious suspected bandit kingpin known only as Bello by an accomplice named Babaye, who remains at large, sometime in the year 2024. After his induction, the suspect allegedly became a trusted asset, providing critical information that enabled the bandits to operate with near‑impunity in the area.
The suspect confessed to participating in two separate kidnapping operations in Sayaya Village, during which a total sum of N7,000,000 was collected as ransom from victims. He further admitted receiving N900,000 as his personal share of the proceeds. In addition to the kidnappings, Isyaku stated that he invited the same Bello and his gang to Dukawa Village on two occasions, attacks that resulted in the rustling of 14 cows. For his role in these cattle raids, he reportedly received N40,000.
Perhaps most chillingly, the suspect also confessed to taking part in the April 5, 2026, attack on Sayaya Village, during which houses were set on fire and a police officer attached to the Matazu Division was killed. By acting as an informant, Isyaku enabled the bandits to move freely, pinpoint vulnerable targets, and escape before security forces could respond. The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Ali Umar Fage, commended the operatives for their swift action and reiterated the Command’s commitment to the fight against all forms of crimes and criminality, especially kidnapping and cattle rustling. He urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to aid ongoing operations. “Efforts are ongoing to ensure the arrest of the fleeing accomplices, including the said Babaye and bandit kingpin Bello and members of his gang,” the statement read. “Investigation is in progress, and the suspect will be charged in court upon conclusion.”
The arrest of Surajo Isyaku, first reported by the police on Monday, May 18, represents a significant breakthrough in the fight against banditry in Katsina State, revealing how deep the tentacles of informants reach into vulnerable communities. In the shadows of the North‑West, the informant is the silent killer who makes every other crime possible. Without them, the kidnappers would have no one to identify which family can pay a large ransom, the rustlers would have no one to guide them through the bush paths, and the arsonists would have no one to confirm that the police patrol had left the area. For years, these shadowy figures have been the invisible backbone of the kidnapping economy, and when one is caught and forced to confess, the entire network trembles.
As Isyaku awaits his day in court, the hunt for Bello and Babaye has intensified. The police have made it clear that they will not rest until the entire supply chain of terror is dismantled. For the people of Sayaya and Dukawa, the arrest offers a rare moment of hope. For the informants still hiding in plain sight, it is a warning that their names, and their shares of the blood money, may soon be the next to be read aloud in a police statement.
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