…….Bust major gunrunning syndicate
……. As IGP diversifies tactics to tackle all forms of crime
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a total of 2,740 armed robbery suspects and other criminal kingpins for involvement in various crimes, including kidnapping, gunrunning, car theft, and culpable homicide in parts of the country.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this at a press briefing and parade of suspects at the Force Intelligence Bureau Intelligence Response Team FIB-IRT office in Guzape, Abuja, on Tuesday.
The police operatives arrested the suspects through actionable, intelligent information on their activities at various locations in the nation’s capital and some states of the federation.
The force image maker said that the police officers, in line with the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olukayode Egbetokun, had swung into the hideouts of these criminals and effected their arrests.
“Over the last month, the Nigeria Police Force recorded the arrest of 295 armed robbery suspects, 186 kidnappers, 271 murder/homicide suspects, and 71 suspects for the unlawful possession of firearms. Also, 199 suspects for sexual-related offences, 143 suspects for cultism, and 1575 suspects were arrested for other various crimes. The Force also recovered 185 firearms and a total number of 4087 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, 111 vehicles were recovered, and 129 kidnapped victims were rescued.
“In more recent events, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have made outstanding breakthroughs in the fight against several types of violent crimes across the country, one of which is the dismantling and arrest of a gunrunning syndicate operating in the Bauchi-Plateau region. The suspects, identified as Taimako Mato’m’, John Danladi, ’m’, Mohammed Munkail’m’, Manasseh William ‘m’ and Muhammadu Haddi ‘m’ were arrested with 1 PKT machine gun, 40 rounds of 37.2mm and 95rounds of 62mm cartridge ammunition.
“The leader of the syndicate, Taimako Mato, was a weapon-handling instructor at a Boko Haram Camp, who procured these prohibited weapons and passed them on to the other members of the syndicate to sell to various buyers, Adejobi said.
All the suspects, according to the force spokesman, are currently under investigation and will soon be arraigned in the nation’s law courts for these crimes.
