The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a suspected gunrunner and recovered two AK-49 rifles, 228 rounds of RPG ammunition and 275 rounds of 7.62mm AK-47 ammunition in Sabon Gari Local Government Area.
Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing in Kaduna.
He said the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Kenneth from Delta State, was arrested on August 25 following a distress call from Yan’Karfe Motor Park in Sabon Gari, Zaria.
According to the CP, the suspect was behaving suspiciously while carrying a sack containing potatoes.
Police operatives from Sabon Gari Division responded to the report and, upon searching the sack, allegedly recovered the weapons and ammunition, five AK-47 magazines and suspected hard drugs.
“The case is presently under investigation,” Muhammad said.
In another operation, the command said three suspected members of an armed banditry and kidnapping syndicate were arrested along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
The suspects were identified as Ibrahim Muhammad, 25, alias “Alti”; Usman Tukur, 27, alias “Mallam”; and Hassan Alhaji Salisu, 23, alias “Tagwaye”.
The police said the suspects were arrested on August 24 following credible intelligence and allegedly confessed to belonging to a bandit group operating around Millennium City and other parts of Kaduna.
They are expected to be charged to court after investigation.
The command also said 134 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition were recovered during a stop-and-search operation along Kachia Road on August 25.
Muhammad said the ammunition was concealed in a sack carried by a motorcyclist, who allegedly told investigators that he had been sent by a notorious bandit known as “Yellow Mai-Million” to collect and deliver the consignment.
The police commissioner further disclosed the arrest of three suspected armed robbers and rapists following a joint operation involving the police, Ahmadu Bello University security personnel and the Civilian Joint Task Force around Rafin Tukurwa, Zaria.
The suspects were identified as Jamilu Yau, 20, alias “Jagwa”; Abdullahi Hamisu, 25, alias “Maikudi Santsi”; and Sani Abubakar, 20, alias “Gaye”.
The suspects were arrested following complaints and distress calls from residents, the CP said.
He added that two of the suspects allegedly confessed to the offences and disclosed that they used a “grave stick” as a charm.
The suspects were also linked to alleged attacks in Gidan Kira, Magata and Gidan Maranta villages, where victims were reportedly robbed and sexually assaulted.
Muhammad appealed to other victims and residents of affected communities to provide information that could assist the investigation.
The command also announced the arrest of a suspected phone thief, Barnabas Amale, 27, who allegedly brandished a pistol after stealing a Tecno mobile phone from a farmer in Idon-Gida, Kajuru Local Government Area.
Further investigation reportedly led to the identification of another suspect, Victor Patrick, 37, who allegedly obtained the firearm from a man identified as Oyou Movel, who remains at large.
Police also recovered a Toyota Hilux belonging to the Kaduna State Water Board, allegedly stolen from Gobarau Road, Ungwan Rimi, Kaduna.
According to Muhammad, the vehicle was tracked to Kano State, where suspected members of a criminal syndicate abandoned it and fled into the bush during a police chase.
Two other suspects, Abdullahi Abubakar and Shehu Sani, both from Makera in Kajuru, were arrested over alleged armed robbery and vandalism at the Infectious Disease Centre, Mando.
The suspects allegedly worked with other gang members still at large to scale the facility’s fence, tie up five security guards and vandalise its transformer.
The CP described attacks on critical infrastructure as “serious sabotage” capable of threatening public health and safety.
He said the command had intensified patrols and raids on suspected criminal hideouts and black spots across Kaduna metropolis.
Police also recovered 11 sacks containing dried leaves suspected to be cannabis along the Zaria-Kano Expressway.
The command said suspected traffickers abandoned the sacks and fled after police approached their unregistered Volkswagen Golf Station Wagon while they were loading the items.
Muhammad assured residents that the command would intensify intelligence gathering, community engagement and targeted operations against banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, vehicle theft and other crimes.
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