An arms trafficker from Algeria has admitted to supplying weapons to bandits across Nigeria’s northwestern states for eight years.
The Zamfara Police Commissioner, Mohammed Dalijan, disclosed this during a briefing in Gusau on Tuesday.
He stated that the suspect was arrested at the Illela border point, where police recovered four AK-47 rifles, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
”The suspected Algerian told the police he had been committing this crime for eight years,” Dalijan said.
He revealed that the police had carried out raids over the past three weeks, recovering 16 AK-47 rifles, one double-barrel gun, and a locally made pistol from an arms manufacturer based in Jos, Plateau State.
“The command, acting on intelligence, traced and arrested an arms manufacturer in Jos and tracked and arrested a regional arms trafficker from Algeria,” he said.
In addition to these arrests, Dalijan confirmed the detention of several suspects, including bandits, motorcycle suppliers, and illegal gold miners.
“The police recovered live ammunition and N2.5 million cash, among others, from the suspects,” he stated.
He reiterated the federal and state governments’ ban on illegal mining, warning that violators would face severe consequences.