Police smash gunrunning syndicate in Nasarawa, 9 suspects nabbed, 38 guns, 4,264 ammo recovered

From Abel Leonard, Lafia

Police smash gunrunning syndicate in Nasarawa, 9 suspects nabbed, 38 guns, 4,264 ammo recoveredThe Nasarawa State Police Command has paraded deadly gunrunners, fake soldiers, and arms manufacturers in Nasarawa as the State Police Command smashed a criminal network, arresting nine suspects and recovering 38 firearms, 4,264 live ammunition, and a stolen car.

Commissioner of Police, CP Shetima Mohammed Jauro, who personally led one of the operations, told newsmen on Tuesday at the Police Command Headquarters, Lafia, that the breakthroughs were part of the Command’s renewed war on crime.

“On September 7, at about 1830hrs, we got credible intelligence that suspected gunrunners from Benue were sighted in a forest bordering Kadarko, Keana LGA. They were offloading arms and ammunition for onward distribution to criminal partners. On sighting my team, they fled into the forest, abandoning their load,” the CP said.

He disclosed that the operation led to the recovery of four AK-49 rifles, three AK-47 rifles, one G3 rifle, one submachine gun, eleven magazines, and thousands of rounds of live ammunition.

In a separate raid, police arrested one John Paul of Abuja along Akwanga-Wamba Motor Park with five locally fabricated rifles concealed in his luggage.

Also paraded were two notorious brothers, James and Alpha Philip, who allegedly manufactured and sold guns in Lafia. Four of their major buyers and distributors — Usman Abubakar, Yakubu Danladi, Usman Kasimu alias Bobo, and Abdullahi Adamu — were equally nabbed.

From the syndicate, police recovered thirteen long-range single-barrel guns, ten short guns, a revolver, swords, charms, police uniforms, and gun-making machines.

In yet another bust, operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit intercepted a black Peugeot 508 with registration number LFA-86-MF. Inside were three suspects — Iliya Adamu, 23, Ishaya Monday, 23, and Hussaini Usman, 25 — who allegedly posed as soldiers but had no military ID.

Items recovered included a jungle hat, military polo shirts, and a black shirt with Army inscriptions.

“The suspects falsely claimed to be members of the Nigerian Army. They are in custody and assisting investigations,” Jauro said.

He praised his men for their gallantry and thanked the public for providing useful intelligence.

“I want to assure residents that we will not relent in ridding the state of criminals. We call on the public to remain vigilant and law-abiding while supporting security agencies with timely information,” the CP added.