Malik Yahya/
The quiet town of Bena in Kebbi State was jolted by shock and grief after police arrested a 50-year-old man suspected of killing a traveller, Alhaji Babuga Muhammad, during a brutal forest attack earlier this month.
According to a statement issued by the Kebbi State Police Command, the tragedy unfolded on October 16, 2025, when Babuga was ambushed by a gang of hoodlums near Malakachi village in Bena District, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area. The victim, who was on his way from Bena to his home in Karaye, Bagega district of Maru LGA, Zamfara State, was reportedly seized and hacked on the neck in the forest.
Police said the distressing scene was discovered after the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Bena mobilised a team of officers to the location. Babuga was rushed to the General Hospital in Bena, but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Following swift investigations, detectives arrested one Muhammad Wanzam, 50, of Bena town, who was “reasonably suspected” of involvement in the gruesome murder. The suspect allegedly confessed to conspiring with an accomplice, Nuhu Bena, who remains at large, to attack and kill the deceased “without any reasonable cause.”
A search of Wanzam’s residence led to a chilling discovery: a fabricated AK-47 rifle, a Dane gun, two live rounds of ammunition, one magazine, and the cutlass believed to have been used in the killing.
Kebbi State Commissioner of Police, CP Bello M. Sani, praised the DPO and his men for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach in tracking down the suspect. He directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Birnin Kebbi for further investigation, with orders to apprehend the fleeing suspect and uncover the motive behind the murder.
In his appeal to residents, CP Sani urged the public to always seek lawful means of resolving disputes rather than resorting to violence. He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, calling for continued cooperation and vigilance among citizens.
“We remain resolute in our mission to safeguard every community in Kebbi State. Members of the public should promptly report suspicious movements or persons to the nearest police station,” the CP stated.
The tragic incident has reignited conversations about insecurity in border communities between Kebbi and Zamfara states, where forest routes are often exploited by criminal gangs for ambush and robbery.
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