Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 10 suspects and recovered a significant cache of weapons, including two AK-47 rifles, a Type-06 rifle, magazines, and 58 rounds of live ammunition, in separate intelligence-led operations targeting suspected firearms traffickers and criminal networks across the country.
The operations, conducted by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Force Headquarters, Abuja, represent a major breakthrough in the ongoing fight against the illegal movement of firearms used to facilitate violent crimes, including kidnapping and armed robbery.
In a coordinated operation across Imo and Rivers States, the police arrested eight suspects linked to a criminal syndicate allegedly involved in kidnapping and illegal firearms procurement. One of the suspects, Mohammadu Sani, identified as the principal suspect, was arrested on the outskirts of Owerri, Imo State. He was apprehended with an AK-47 rifle and 30 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
According to the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, investigations revealed that Sani had previously operated in Kogi State before relocating to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he allegedly began efforts to reconstitute his criminal network. Further findings linked members of the syndicate to kidnapping operations in parts of Rivers and Imo States, and established that the recovered firearm was procured through an intermediary involved in firearms trafficking.
In a separate operation targeting a suspected firearms trafficking syndicate in the North-Central region, IRT operatives arrested Yakubu Danladi Pam and Abdulsalam Mohammed Hussain. The operatives recovered one locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, one Type 06 rifle, two magazines, and 28 rounds of live ammunition from the suspects. Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspects were involved in the supply, transportation, and distribution of firearms across parts of the North-Central and North-Eastern regions.
The Force said the latest operations were part of intensified efforts to dismantle criminal networks involved in the illegal acquisition, movement, and distribution of firearms across the country. The police said investigations were ongoing to identify and arrest other members of the suspected syndicates and establish the full extent of their activities.
“The Nigeria Police Force has intensified efforts to identify and apprehend other members of the syndicates and further disrupt the illegal movement of firearms used to facilitate violent crimes,” Iniedu added.
The Force said the recovered weapons and ammunition would form part of the evidence in the ongoing investigations into the suspects and their alleged criminal activities.
All suspects remain innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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