The Kaduna State Police Command has smashed an arms-supply syndicate feeding criminal elements, arresting 10 suspects and recovering eight locally fabricated firearms in a series of coordinated raids.
The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested 10 suspected bandits and arms traffickers, recovering eight illicit firearms during a series of targeted, intelligence-led operations across the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the breakthrough in a statement issued in Kaduna on Friday. The crackdowns followed a deep-dive investigation into a criminal conspiracy and arms-dealing network originally uncovered by the Ikara Divisional Headquarters on May 1.
Operatives from the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit intercepted a major syndicate responsible for manufacturing and distributing weapons to active bandits in Ikara and surrounding communities.
The detectives arrested five key suspects: Haruna Dauda, Meshack John, Iliya Dangi, Joshua Maigida, and Audu Musa. During the raid, police recovered: Four locally fabricated AK-47 rifles, Two locally fabricated pistols.
According to DSP Hassan, the suspects confessed to running an illegal weapons depot and named previously arrested criminals—Timothy Yohana, Ado Mato, and Hamisu Yalwa—as frequent buyers of their illicit supply.
In a separate operation on May 5 at around 8:00 PM, police acted on actionable intelligence to raid a hideout in Kuraye Village, located within the Kubau Local Government Area. The operation led to the arrest of Yunusa Yahaya (40) and Mustapha Yahaya (30), who were caught with a fabricated AK-47 rifle and several rounds of 7.5mm ammunition.
On the same night, a secondary raid was conducted at the residence of one Mathew Tanko in Furana Village, Ikara Local Government Area. While detectives successfully recovered another fabricated AK-47 rifle from the premises, Tanko managed to evade arrest and is currently at large.
The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, issued a stern warning to individuals engaging in the illegal possession, fabrication, or distribution of military-grade weaponry.
He reiterated that the command, in synergy with other security agencies, will continue to squeeze the operational space of bandits by tracking down the local manufacturing rings supplying them with firearms. Residents were urged to remain vigilant and report suspicious foundry or blacksmithing activities in their localities to help sustain the state’s security push.
Visit GMTNewsng for more news stories.