Suspected Bandits, Wives, Informants Arrested On Return From Hajj

Security agents have arrested an undisclosed number of suspected bandits, their wives and informants immediately after they returned from the just-concluded 2023 pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

The suspects hail from Tsafe, Zurmi, Bungudu and Shinkafi local government areas of Zamfara State.

According to an online newspaper, NewsPoint Nigeria, the alleged terrorists, who went to Saudia Arabia alongside other Nigerian pilgrims from Zamfara State, were arrested at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport in Sokoto State last week.

Intending pilgrims from Zamfara State often travel to Saudi Arabia through the airport in Sokoto given the proximity between the two States.

Though spokespersons of security agencies in Zamfara State feigned ignorance of the mass arrests, multiple sources, including a top Hajj committee member, confirmed the development.

The Zamfara State Pilgrims Welfare Board spokesperson, Mansur Shafi’i, didn’t answer calls made to his mobile number, neither did he respond to a message sent to him about the arrests.