Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have dismantled a major gunrunning network across several northern states, arresting nine suspects and recovering a large cache of firearms and ammunition.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the latest breakthroughs achieved by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department – Intelligence Response Team (FID–IRT), in Abuja on Thursday.

According to Hundeyin, the coordinated operations led to the seizure of seven AK-47 rifles, two AK-49 rifles, five pump-action guns, 15 magazines, a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, and over 600 rounds of live ammunition of various calibres.

He said the IRT recorded notable successes in five major cases involving criminal conspiracy, arms dealing, and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.

“Four suspects — Bello Lado, Jafar Adam, Adamu Yusuf, and Yusuf Ibrahim — were arrested in Nasarawa and Plateau states. They were allegedly involved in trafficking nearly 5,000 rounds of ammunition since 2022.

“In a separate operation, one Alhaji Bature Manya, 46, was arrested in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State with an AK-49 rifle. Another suspect, Yunana Iliya a.k.a. Bado, was nabbed in Kaduna State for allegedly supplying weapons to bandits.

“Two other suspects, Yusuf Musa and Mohammadu Jafaru, were apprehended in Taraba State for supplying arms to criminal gangs operating across Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, and Benue states.”

Also arrested was Alhaji Jibrin Abubakar a.k.a. Majoye, a 40-year-old arms dealer linked to a notorious syndicate operating in Plateau and Nasarawa states. A locally fabricated AK-47 rifle was recovered from him.

Hundeyin said investigations were ongoing to track other fleeing members of the network and dismantle their supply chains.

“The Inspector-General of Police commends the gallantry of the operatives and assures Nigerians that the Force will continue to intensify efforts to rid the country of illegal arms and criminal syndicates,” Hundeyin added.

The Guardian recently reported that Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Department of State Services (DSS) for their decisive efforts in dismantling a gunrunning syndicate and recovering a cache of arms and ammunition through coordinated covert operations in the state.

The governor described the successful sting operation as a significant boost to ongoing security reforms under his administration’s Kaduna Peace Model, emphasising that there will be no hiding place for bandits, arms traffickers, or their collaborators.

Speaking through the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shuaibu (SAN), Sani said the operation demonstrates that Kaduna’s peace framework, based on intelligence sharing, inter-agency collaboration, and community engagement, is delivering tangible results.

“There must be some bad eggs who want to rubbish government’s efforts, but the DSS in Kaduna has done wonderfully well. This is the kind of result we get when institutions work together,” he said.