The police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, said they have arrested a dismissed immigration officer while he was trying to deliver firearms to bandits operating in the Abuja-Kaduna forests.
They said the suspect was arrested during an intelligence-led operation by the police.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Officer in Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Mustafa Mohammed, said the operation prevented the arms from reaching criminal elements who could have made them deadly.
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“Acting on intelligence, the command intercepted these guns from a dismissed immigration officer attempting to sell them to bandits terrorising the Abuja-Kaduna forest. The intelligence was received in time, and the arms were intercepted while he was trying to make the delivery,” Mr Mohammed said.
The FCT police command did not diaclose the name of the suspect, citing the federal government’s recent policy banning the parade of suspects.
According to the police, items recovered from him from him at the illegal point of sale include two Scorpion CZ EVO3 advanced and fully-automatic firearm with an inbuilt silencer with two rounds of its ammunitions.
The rest are two pistols with two catridges, and four AK-47 cartridges.
Referring to the Scorpion CZ EVO3 assault rifles, Mr Mohammed said, “This is the latest model, the 2022 version of the Scorpion series.”
He added, “It can be used in single, automatic, or burst mode. It is a highly sophisticated weapon, and its magazine can hold between 20 to 30 rounds, depending on the configuration. We also recovered 52 rounds of ammunition which could have posed a severe threat had they fallen into the hands of criminals.”
Meanwhile, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, said that a total of 300 suspects were arrested between January and 28 February 2025.
He noted that the command’s decisive actions “have led to the arrest of 300 suspects and the recovery of a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and illicit substances.”
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Giving a breakdown of the arrests and number of suspects killled , he said, “Total number of armed robbers arrested: 59; total number of kidnappers and informants arrested: 10; total number of armed robberneutralizesed: nine; total number of kidnapperneutralizesed: seven; and total number of cultists arrested: 16.”
He also confirmed that targeted raid and clearance operations were conducted in identified criminal hideouts.
“Demonstrating an unwavering commitment to the safety of residents, the Command deployed specialized tactical teams to raid identified criminal hideouts and black spots across the FCT. These operations covered high-risk areas, including Dei-Dei, Karu, Gwarinpa, Jikwoyi, Karimo and Maitama.
“Additionally, abandoned buildings across the city, frequently used as hideouts and bases for planning illicit activities, have been identified and will be subject to continuous monitoring and raids,” Mr Disu added.
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