Seventeen suspected male cultists aged between 18 and 28 years have been arrested by the  Abia State Police Command.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka made this known in a press release on Tuesday night.

She said that some of the suspected cultists were arrested at their various meeting points, while the others were nabbed on their way to perpetrate crimes.

According to the Abia State Police Command, items recovered from the suspects include: five short guns, three live ammunition, thirteen  mobile phones of different makes, two  cutlasses, one  axe and one  black barete.

The Command said that the arrest of the suspects followed  the recent upsurge in cult-related activities in the State,  including the attack on 13/05/2026 at No. 29 Brass Road, Aba, where a young man was shot and macheted to death by a group of suspected cultists.

The Command also recalled that another young man was shot by suspected cultists  on 24/05/2026 at Ehere, near Opobo jppunction in Aba.

“The Abia State Police Command, leveraging on actionable intelligence, took the fight to the criminals. Operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit ,VCRU, successfully apprehended seventeen (17) suspected cultists linked to the aforementioned incidents in Aba, Abia State”, she stated.

The Police said that the suspects are being charged to the Court as investigation has been concluded on the matter, 

It  further assured that the Abia State Police Command under the watch of Commissioner of Police, CP Danlandi Isa would ensure that there is no hiding place for cultists and other criminal activities in Abia.

Sokoto State Police Command has arrested a suspected drug dealer and recovered a large quantity of suspected hard drugs during an operation in the state.

The Command also foiled a bandit attack and recovered rustled livestock in separate security operations.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said the drug suspect was arrested on May 27 during a stop-and-search operation along the Kebbi-Sokoto Road by operatives attached to the Bado Division.

According to the statement, the suspect, identified as Ummaru Abubakar Gugare, was intercepted while riding an unregistered motorcycle alongside another suspect who escaped during the operation.

Police said a search conducted on the suspects led to the recovery of a sack containing substances suspected to be Indian hemp, as well as quantities of Axzol, Benthexol and D5 tablets classified as controlled drugs.

The recovered exhibits were taken into police custody, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect.

In a separate operation on May 30, operatives of the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit foiled a bandit attack on Zabori, Tambaranga and Gidan Yero villages in Wamakko Local Government Area.

The operation followed a distress call reporting the invasion of the communities by armed bandits.

Police said the operatives blocked the suspects’ escape route around Abdalo Forest in Gwadabawa Local Government Area, leading to an exchange of gunfire.

According to the statement, the bandits fled into the forest after being overpowered by security operatives, with some reportedly sustaining gunshot wounds.

One suspect, identified as Musa Usman of Damba Village in Illela Local Government Area, was arrested during the operation.

The police also recovered 11 cows and five sheep believed to have been rustled by the suspects.

The livestock have been taken into custody pending identification and return to their owners.

The command said investigations into both cases were ongoing, while efforts had been intensified to apprehend other suspects linked to the crimes.

Troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA have foiled an attempted bandit attack on Gegeta Village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State, neutralising three suspected bandits and recovering livestock rustled during the raid.

The development was disclosed by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, in a post shared via his X handle.

According to security sources cited in the report, the incident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. on June 1 when armed bandits invaded the community through the Magami District and rustled animals belonging to residents.

The attackers were reportedly armed with sophisticated weapons, including a General Purpose Machine Gun, GPMG, AK-type rifles and other firearms.

Following a distress call, joint security personnel comprising troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA and local vigilantes were mobilised to the area to confront the attackers.

A gun battle reportedly ensued, forcing the bandits to abandon their operation and flee into nearby forested areas.

During the encounter, three suspected bandits were neutralised, while others escaped with possible gunshot wounds.

Security sources said all livestock rustled during the attack were recovered and returned to their owners.

The sources added that follow-up operations, including search-and-clear missions, were ongoing to track down fleeing members of the criminal gang and prevent further attacks in the area.

Authorities reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining security operations aimed at protecting lives and property across vulnerable communities in Zamfara State.