By JOHN ADAMS, Minna

As the police in Niger State intensify its crack on armed bandits across communities in the State, two suspected “Chief Informants” to kidnappers and bandits have been arrested by the authorities.

The two suspected informants are among those who have being providing information to criminals on area to attack and those to be kidnapped.

They are among those on the wanted list of security agents in the State for their connection with armed bandits.

The two informants, Danladi Sarki, 25, and Yunana Danjuma, 28, both male, of Nakudna and Kusasu villages, respectively, in Shiroro Local Government Area of the State, are said to be behind the abduction of one Mallam Jambo Salihu from Nakudna community sometime in July, when about 14 armed bandits invaded the area.

According to the spokesman of the Niger State Police Command, ASP Wasiu Abiodun, the suspects, who are indigenes of the communities, confessed to the police that they have being providing information to bandits to enable them carry out attacks in the area.

‘They conspired with their armed gang members now at large, and acted as pointers and informants to the bandits to carry out a number of attacks in the area and collect their share of every ransom paid for kidnapped victims,’ Abiodun said.

The suspects are currently helping the police to track down other bandit informants in the area, with the police vowing to flush criminals out of the State.

Shiroro remains an epicentre of banditry in the Niger, where in the last five years about 320 people have been killed, and over 10,000 people forced out of their homes, with a hundred abductions and millions of naira in ransom payments.

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello had recently lamented the prevalence of criminal informants, saying their activities have complicated antibanditry operations in the State. ‘These informants are everywhere, including here in Government House,’ the Governor said. (Daily Sun)