Troops of the 1 brigade of the Nigerian army have arrested Bako Wurgi, alias Baka NaGarba, a suspected notorious bandit leader and arms dealer.
He is suspected to be behind the murder of Isa Bawa, the emir of Gobir in Sokoto state.
In July, the traditional ruler was abducted by suspected bandits at the Kwanar Maharba area in Sokoto while returning from an event and was killed three weeks later.
In a viral video, the traditional ruler was shown tied up by the bandits, pleading with the state government to pay the ransom to the bandits for his release.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the suspected mastermind of the abduction was arrested on December 14 around 10 p.m. following intelligence reports that he was receiving treatment at a hospital in Shinkafi town, Zamfara state.
The report said Wurgi was being treated for injuries he sustained during a clash with a rival group and the army discovered he was on his way to a hospital with multiple cuts and gunshot wounds.
The publication said two of Wurgi’s accomplices fled the scene but troops arrested the person who assisted in transporting him in a tricycle.
