Safiu Kehinde
It was a bad week out for nine suspected criminals who met their waterloo following their apprehension by the Department of State Service (DSS) during a week-long raid across several states.
The security operatives, in partnership with sister security agencies, had, yesterday, embarked on a joint operation in Kogi State, resulting to the arrest of a six-man criminal gang and the confiscation of arms and live ammunition found with the suspected criminals.
As contained in a Press Statement issued by the DSS, one pump action rifle, four cartridges, one AK-47 empty shell, and a sum of #11,030 were recovered from the suspects.
The statement read in part: “During the operation, the security team intercepted a six man criminal gang at Gegu Beki, along the Lokoja-Abuja Road. While the gang includes Col AU Suleiman (rtd), Barr. MK Aminu, Kabir Abdullahi, Isah Umar, Kadir Echi and Adama Abdulkarim, items recovered from the members are: One (1) Pump action rifle; Four (4) catridges; One (1) AK47 empty shell, and the sum of eleven thousand, thirty naira (11,030).”
While the arrest of the six-man criminal gang only summed up the security operatives activities across their week-long raid, they further revealed other arrest made in the course of the week as well as the arms and ammunition recovered in the process.
According to the statement, a twenty-year old notorious kidnapper, Haruna Adamu, was rounded up at Adamawa State on Saturday with one AK-47 rifle, one magazine, and four rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition recovered from him.
“Yesterday, 25th March, 2023, Service operatives apprehended a 20 year old suspected notorious kidnapper, Haruna Adamu at Fotta village in Gombi LGA, Adamawa State.
“At the point of arrest, one (1) AK-47 rifle, one (1) magazine and four (4) rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition were recovered from the suspect.” The statement read further.
Meanwhile, just two days before Adamu’s arrest, a Niger-bound suspected gunrunner was intercepted at Kubwa Expressway with 432 rounds of 7.62×39mm caliber ammunition concealed in a four litre gallon of palm oil and the sum of #21,400.
This was, however, preceded by the arrest of another arms courier to bandits in Zamfara.
The suspect, identified as Babangida Ibrahim, was apprehended at Buruku area of Jos South LGA, Plateau.
Recovered from him were four hundred and sixty-eight (468) rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition and the sum of twenty one thousand, ninety naira (21, 090).
While the DSS claimed to have taken the suspects into custody and vowed to arraign them for prosecution, they urged members of the public to avail them information necessary to bring other perpetrators to book.