According to the Department of State Services (DSS), it has stopped criminal groups in various locations across the nation and recovered a variety of firearms from them.
In a statement released on Sunday, DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya stated that on March 26, 2023, the secret police and other security agencies conducted a coordinated operation in Kogi State.
Afunanya claimed that during the operation, the security team stopped a six-man criminal gang at Gegu Beki along the Lokoja-Abuja Road.
While the gang includes Col. AU Suleiman (rtd), Barr. MK Aminu, Kabir Abdullahi, Isah Umar, Kadir Echi, and Adama Abdulkarim, items recovered from the members are: One (1) Pump action rifle; Four (4) cartridges; One (1) AK47 empty shell and the sum of eleven thousand, thirty naira (11,030).
He claims that on March 25, 2023, the Service’s agents detained 20-year-old Haruna Adamu, a suspected renowned kidnapper, in the Fotta village of the Gombi LGA of Adamawa State.
At the point of arrest, one (1) AK-47 rifle, one (1) magazine, and four (4) rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition were recovered from the suspect, according to the DSS.
Also on 23rd March 2023, the Service said one Aminu Ibrahim, a suspected gunrunner, was arrested along Kubwa Expressway by its operatives while on his way from Nasarawa State to deliver four hundred and thirty-two (432) rounds of 7.62 x39mm caliber ammunition concealed in a four (4) litre gallon of palm oil to a bandit in Niger State.
The Service said the sum of twenty-one thousand, four hundred Naira (N21,400) was also recovered from the suspect.
Babangida Ibrahim, a courier for weapons to bandits in Zamfara State, was also detained, according to the Service, along Bukuru in Jos South LGA, Plateau State.
A total of twenty-one thousand, ninety naira (21, 090) and four hundred and sixty-eight (468) rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition were also found on the suspect, according to the report.
According to the DSS, all of the suspects have been apprehended and will face the appropriate charges.
It further noted that additional inquiries into related issues are being conducted across the nation by the Service and appropriate security authorities.
The Service reaffirmed its commitment to working with the right stakeholders to reduce crime in the nation.
Also, it urged the people to provide pertinent information to the agencies so they can take action against criminal and subversive elements.
