Two individuals were detained by the Zamfara Police Command for allegedly extorting ₦5 million from the residents of Yar-Katsina hamlet in order to assist the deployment of security forces to the area.
This information can be found in a statement that the command's public relations officer, SP Muhammad Shehu, released on Thursday in Gusau.
He claimed that one of the suspects was from Yardole in Gusau LGA and the other was from Jangebe village in Talata Mafara LGA.
“The arrest of the suspects was as a result of complaints received from members of the community against the principal suspect, Lawali Musa.
“Police investigation revealed that the principal suspect confessed to have collected the sum of N5 million from the community in the name of assisting them to have security agencies deployed to their community.
“The second suspect, Jamilu Isah, confessed that the sum of 800,000 out of the ₦5 million collected was deposited into his account”, Shehu said.
The PPRO said the suspects would be charged to court after full investigation.
The command reiterated that the deployment of security operatives to villages and communities is purely free of charge.
The police command, therefore, appealed to people of the state to report any person or group demanding money from them to secure the deployment of security operatives to their areas.
“You can reach out to the police or any relevant authority regarding the general security of your respective areas.
“Any suspect should also be reported to the police or any security agency for appropriate action,” he added.