The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Monday said Operatives of the Intelligence Response Unit (IRT), Special Tactical Squad (STS), Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit and the Special Forces attached to Operation Puff Adder have dismantled a four-man international arms-smuggling syndicate.
A statement from Police spokesman, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Frank Mba, said the criminal gang operates between parts of North African, the Sahel region and West African countries, adding that a total of 6,000 AK47 Live ammunition were recovered from them.
He explained that the four-man syndicate comprising: Ojoomo Olugbenga, Oladimeji Adeogun, Habib Musibau and Thomas Olumuyiwa were arrested at Saki town, Nigeria-Benin Republic border in Oyo state.
He said investigation reveals that the syndicate specializes in smuggling small arms, light weapons and ammunition from North Africa through the Sahel region and supplying the same to their criminal partners – kidnappers, armed robbers, political thugs and other criminal elements – in Nigeria and other West African countries.
He also said another set of twenty four AK47 rifles, four pump action guns, eleven Dane guns, ten English Pistols, two single barrel guns, one set of army camouflage uniform and twenty-two live cartridges were recovered from other criminal gangs in different parts of the country.
He said, “A total of thirty-eight suspects were arrested for their different roles in various criminal operations ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and cattle rustling.”
