WorldStage— A bandit leader in Katsina State has lost N95 million in deal to a suspected gun runner who reportedly disappeared after collecting the sum with a promise to procure and deliver high-grade firearms.
Hon. Abdullahi Aliyu, the federal lawmaker representing the Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency, disclosed the details of the arms-deal fraud during an interview on NTA Hausa.
The lawmaker, popularly known as “General,” revealed that the intermediary pitched an offer to a notorious bandit kingpin to procure sophisticated weapons.
Trusting the agreement, the bandit leader handed over ₦95 million in advance, but the suspected arms dealer vanished with the entire sum.
The fallout from the fraudulent deal is reported to have severely impacted the immediate area, causing significant security implications.
The lawmaker linked the incident to the actions of a feared local bandit kingpin, Kachalla Maha, who recently pulled out of local peace and truce agreements in protest.
Following his withdrawal from the peace pact, Kachalla Maha began imposing heavy, illegal livestock-based levies on nearby villages.
Local sources indicate that the bandits have retaliated against vulnerable communities in the Matazu axis, heavily escalating fear and insecurity across surrounding villages.
To combat the logistics networks of the criminal groups, the Katsina State Government had previously enforced strict emergency restrictions, including closing Point of Sale (POS) operations and commercial phone charging centers in the Matazu and Musawa local government areas.
