- Safiu Kehinde
Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have nabbed two suspected arms peddlers in the state.
The duo was nabbed on Wednesday by the operatives attached to the CP- Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) of the command.
SP Bright Edafe, the Delta Police Command’s spokesman, made this known in a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday in Warri.
According to Edafe, the operation followed a credible intelligence from the Force Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), Abuja.
“The CP-SAT acting on the intelligence, arrested a female suspect at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
“Upon search, a sum of N555,000, suspected to be proceeds from illicit transaction was discovered in her bag.
“Her apprehension provided a crucial lead that set off a well-coordinated follow-up operation,” he said.
Edafe said that the police team, thereafter, stormed Niger-Cat neighborhood, Ekpan in Uvwie LGA to arrest the suspected arms peddler.
The command’s spokesman said that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect was a key supplier of weapons to bandit groups in Northern Nigeria.
He added that the suspect had been on the command’s watch list over alleged role in several high-profile kidnapping and armed-robbery operations.
“The suspect is also linked to the kidnap and murder of one Ogheneovo Onemu (female), who was abducted on May 17, 2024 at Ajaokuta Community, Ughelli North LGA.
“The victim was later killed despite the payment of a N4,000,000 ransom,” he said.
Edafe said that 115 rounds of 7.63mm AK-47 live ammunition, 220 rounds of SMG rifle ammunition and 32 live cartridges concealed inside a bag were recovered in the custody of the suspect.