By Uzair Adam
The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested seven suspected bandits and recovered five firearms with live ammunition in separate intelligence-driven operations across the state.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Kaduna, saying the arrests followed credible intelligence on the activities of armed suspects.
According to Hassan, the first operation was carried out on January 28 at about 5:45 p.m. after security operatives received information that some individuals were in possession of prohibited firearms.
He explained that detectives attached to the Anti–Car Theft Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department promptly acted on the intelligence, leading to the arrest of five suspects.
He said the operation resulted in the recovery of an AK-47 rifle with two fully loaded magazines, two Beretta pistols with one fully loaded magazine, as well as a locally fabricated Beretta pistol loaded with seven rounds of live ammunition.
The suspects, he added, are currently in custody while investigations continue to track other criminal networks linked to them.
In a related operation on January 29, Hassan said the Divisional Police Officer of Zaria City Division led a team of 47 Police Mobile Force operatives on stop-and-search duties following intelligence reports on the movement of armed bandits.
“The operation led to the arrest of two suspects, Adamu Lawal and Abdulhadi Lawal, both from Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State, with a locally fabricated firearm recovered from them,” he said.
Hassan noted that the suspects are cooperating with investigators and providing information that could lead to further arrests.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, commended the officers for their professionalism and swift response, while reaffirming the command’s zero tolerance for banditry and other forms of criminality in Kaduna State.
