Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested several suspects allegedly involved in supplying arms and illicit drugs to bandits operating in different parts of the country, the Force announced on Tuesday.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed the arrests at a press briefing in Abuja, noting that the suspects were apprehended during ongoing intelligence-led investigations.
According to Hundeyin, two suspected arms suppliers, John Magah, 45, and Ishaya Stephen, 43, were arrested. Magah, identified as a local gun fabricator, was accused of facilitating the sale of firearms and ammunition to bandits, including one Daudume Bayina, who has also been arrested. Items recovered from the suspects include an AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, a magazine, and four live cartridges. Hundeyin stated the suspects have been involved in arms trading for over five years, operating within Adamawa State and along the Cameroonian border.
In a separate operation, the police, in collaboration with the Department of State Services, arrested a suspected illicit drug supplier, Ifeanyi Egbeke, 40, on November 2 in Kaduna State. Exhibits recovered from Egbeke included tramadol, 326 bottles of codeine, BP injection syrups, Hypnos tablets, and a roll of Indian hemp. Investigations revealed he allegedly supplied drugs to bandits in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, and Sokoto states.
Other suspects arrested include Salisu Mohammed, also known as Mande Dawa, in Zamfara State, from whom police recovered an AK-47 rifle, two magazines, and 32 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed in a bag of millet. He reportedly admitted delivering weapons to bandits along the Obajana axis of Kogi State.
READ ALSO:Â Troops Nabs Couple Supplying Weapons to Terrorists in Kaduna
Uchenna Ikpe was arrested while transporting 24 bags of Indian hemp from Lagos to Abuja, allegedly for delivery for N150,000. Yunana Iliya, also known as Bado, 34, was apprehended in Kaduna State for arms dealing and kidnapping, with five AK-47 rifles and 150 rounds of live ammunition recovered. He reportedly confessed to supplying weapons to bandits and participating in the kidnapping of four children.
CSP Hundeyin said investigations are ongoing and efforts are being intensified to apprehend other suspects linked to these crimes.
The police reiterated their commitment to dismantling criminal networks supplying arms and drugs to bandits, stressing that intelligence-led operations remain a critical tool in maintaining public safety.