The Nigeria Police Force has announced the recovery of 115 stolen vehicles and the rescue of 387 kidnap victims across the country in January 2025.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing in Abuja, highlighting the successes recorded during various operations nationwide.
According to Adejobi, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) arrested 960 suspects within the month under review.
Among them, 244 were apprehended for armed robbery, 170 for kidnapping, 240 for murder/homicide, 53 for unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, 130 for rape, and 123 for cultism.
The Force Spokesman further revealed that security operatives recovered 172 firearms and 3,134 rounds of ammunition of various calibers. These included 12 rounds of 7.88 mm ammunition, two AK-47 rifles, eight fabricated AK-47 rifles, and four fabricated revolver guns.
Also recovered were five fabricated semi-automatic pistols, 11 AK-47 magazines, and 1,121 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition.
Gun-Running Syndicate Busted in Plateau
Adejobi also reported that eight suspected gun-runners were arrested in Plateau State for unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.
The arrests followed credible intelligence on the activities of a syndicate involved in illegal arms trading.
A female suspect within the syndicate reportedly confessed to selling 900 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition to one of the male suspects.
During investigations, police recovered one locally made pistol, two rounds of 7.88 mm live ammunition, eight fabricated AK-47 rifles, four fabricated revolver guns, and three fabricated semi-automatic pistols.
Additionally, security operatives seized two AK-47 magazines and 1,105 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition.
Further Crackdown on Illegal Firearms
Building on the momentum, operatives of the IRT arrested two more members of the syndicate on January 28, recovering an additional eight fabricated AK-47 rifles, four fabricated revolver rifles, three fabricated semi-automatic pistols, and two fabricated AK-47 magazines.
The firearms were reportedly concealed within the doormat of a red Volkswagen station wagon.
“The suspects confessed to having taken delivery of the recovered firearms from a notorious firearms fabricator, currently at large,” Adejobi stated.
He assured that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fugitive gun fabricator and dismantle illegal arms manufacturing and distribution networks across the country.
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