Ndudi Anyim
The operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested 50 suspects alleged to be members of various notorious criminal gangs and networks across the country.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police (CP), who paraded the suspects on Tuesday, said 10 firearms with 2,496 AK47 ammunitions were were recovered.
Mba also disclosed that the arrests, which were carried out by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team and the Special Tactical Squad of the Force attached to the Operation Puff Adder II, are outcomes of successful follow-up on cases bordering on kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry, unlawful possession of firearms, amongst others.
He said: “ A total of 10 sophisticated prohibited firearms, 2,496 AK47 live ammunition, 10 live cartridges, cartons of tramadol drugs worth over N3 million, bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp, two laptop computers and eight mobile phones, were recovered from the suspects in the operations. ”
Speaking on some of the notable arrests, the FPRO said operatives had during a confidence building patrol along Kachia – Kaduna Highway, intercepted one Danjuma Dachung, 30, native of Ryom, Plateau State and Markus Danladi, in Kachia, Kaduna State conveying 1,565 AK47 ammunition in a Volkswagen, Golf 3 car.
“ Investigations by the Police team revealed that the suspects are members of a major ammunition supply syndicate that supplies ammunition from Jos to bandits in their various camps, hideouts in forests in Kaduna State. Further investigations led to the arrest of one Suleiman Tukur, and his son, Shuaibu Suleiman, 18, who are relatives of a notorious gang leader, who was to receive the ammunition conveyed by Dachung and Danladi.
“ Two Hundred and Thirty-One AK47 live ammunition were recovered by the Police team at their residence in Karabi, Kaduna State.
“ The Police team also arrested two suspects, Daniel Baba, 28, and Andrew Gbagi, 30, both from Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT). The suspects were arrested at the point of brokering a gun sales deal in the Kwali area of the FCT. Investigations revealed that the suspects specialize in selling all calibre of firearms to armed robbers and kidnappers in the FCT and its environs.
“ They also carryout armed robbery operations in Paiko, Dobbi, Kwali, Gwagwalada and Abaji communities in the FCT. Investigation is being intensified to locate their armoury, sponsors and other members of the gang now at large, ” he said.
Stating that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu appreciates the members of the public for the continuous support to the Police and the security community in ensuring safety and security in our various communities, Mba said the IGP assured that the Force would be relentless in taking the battle to the doorstep of criminal elements hell bent at threatening the internal security order of the country and bringing such suspects to justice.