The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) says its operatives have arrested a suspected weapon handling instructor for the Boko Haram terrorist group, Taimako Mato, and four others for alleged gunrunning.
The four other suspects are: John Danladi, Mohammed Munkail, Manasseh William, and Muhammadu Haddi.
In a statement on Tuesday, the force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the suspects are members of a gunrunning syndicate operating in Bauchi and Plateau states.
“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 95 rounds of 62mm cartridge ammunition,” the statement reads.
“The leader of the syndicate, Mato, was a weapon handling instructor at a Boko Haram camp, where he procures these prohibited weapons and passes them on to the other members of the syndicate to sell to various buyers.”
Adejobi said police have arrested 295 suspected armed robbers, 186 kidnappers, 271 murder suspects, and 71 suspects for unlawful possession of firearms in the last one month.
“Also arrested 199 suspects for sexual-related offences, 143 suspects for cultism, and 1,575 suspects arrested for other various crimes,” the force spokesperson said.
“The force also recovered 185 firearms and a total number of 4,087 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, 111 vehicles were recovered, and 129 kidnapped victims were rescued.”
The force spokesperson said the police would not relent in ensuring that crimes are reduced to the barest minimum in the country.
