Police Commissioner Muhammad Katsina, made the revelation when he visited Gidan-Kare village in Sumaila Local Government. He said residents deserted the village following attacks by bandits.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police commissioner was in the village to assess the security situation and map out strategies to rid the area of the menace.
The state commissioner said of the number arrested, 46 suspects were among the most wanted bandits, while the remaining 23 suspects were arrested for cattle rustling.
Advertisement
According to him, the police also recovered 20 goats and sheep, 31 rifles and pistols, 240 cartridges of ammunition and 68 cattle of which 30 had been returned to their owners.
Katsina added that the police apprehended a notorious leader of a robbery gang popularly called Datti Rodi at Gani village.
He said, “The leader has about 200 members who have been terrorising the community.”
Katsina said the suspects were cooperating with the police in their investigations and that they would soon be arraigned.
He also assured that the command would deploy more policemen in the villages to enhance security.
He attributed the successes within one month to the resilience of his men. He however advised those who fled their villages following the activities of bandits to return, as the command had put in place measures to ensure safety.