The Kogi State Government says security operatives have intercepted a cache of arms and ammunition allegedly being transported to criminal groups operating within and around the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
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He said the operation led to the arrest of three suspects and the recovery of weapons believed to have been intended for armed groups under pressure from ongoing security operations.
“The successful interception of the arms consignment is a clear demonstration that the Government remains several steps ahead of those seeking to threaten the peace of the State,” Mr Fanwo said.
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According to him, the operation was carried out through a joint effort involving local security operatives under the Kogi State security architecture, Hybrid Forces operating under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS) and the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army.
Mr Fanwo said security agencies acted on intelligence reports indicating that arms and ammunition were being moved in a Golf 2 vehicle for delivery to criminal elements operating in Kogi State.
He said the suspects were placed under surveillance for more than two weeks before they were arrested in Sokoto State through a coordinated operation involving security agencies and the Sokoto State Government.
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The commissioner said intelligence gathered during the operation led to the interception of the weapons and the impounding of the vehicle in Kabba, Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area.
According to the statement, security operatives recovered two AK-47 rifles, several magazines, 67 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, two pistols, 12 rounds of pistol ammunition and military uniforms.
Mr Fanwo said preliminary intelligence suggested the weapons were intended to replenish the stock of criminal groups that had suffered setbacks during recent military operations.
“Intelligence reports indicate that the intercepted weapons were part of an effort by criminal elements to replenish their depleted stock of arms after suffering major operational setbacks in recent weeks,” he said.
The government linked the development to security operations that followed the killing of Kachalla Batijo, a suspected bandit leader accused of coordinating attacks in parts of Kogi State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported on 17 June that the Kogi State Government confirmed the killing of Mr Batijo, whom authorities linked to the attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area.
The government said the suspected bandit leader was killed after an operation involving the military, police, DSS and local security groups following intelligence that armed groups planned to abduct students writing examinations at the school.
Mr Fanwo had said more than 15 bodies of suspected terrorists were recovered after the operation.
The latest interception comes amid intensified security measures across parts of Kogi State.
On 13 June, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the state government banned commercial motorcycle operations in several Bunu communities, shut markets along designated corridors, restricted fuel sales in jerrycans and prohibited movement on state-owned roads after 7 p.m.
READ ALSO: Yahaya Bello’s Trial: How I shared commission on tax automation contract with Kogi officials – Witness
The government said the measures were designed to cut off food, fuel, medicines, and logistics from reaching armed groups hiding in forests across Kabba-Bunu.
The state also cited intelligence reports indicating that motorcycle operators were being used to transport supplies and gather information for criminal groups.
Military operations have continued in the affected areas.
On 17 June, the Nigerian Army announced the rescue of five kidnap victims abandoned by fleeing terrorists during ongoing counter-terrorism operations in Adankolo Forest.
Earlier, on 1 June, troops rescued 23 abducted passengers after gunmen attacked travellers along the Ayegunle-Bunu road, while another operation on 4 June led to the rescue of a woman and her six-month-old child kidnapped in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area.
Mr Fanwo said investigations into the intercepted arms and the activities of the suspected trafficking network were ongoing.
He urged residents to continue providing security agencies with credible information, adding that the state government would sustain intelligence-led operations and collaboration with security agencies to combat banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
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