Four men arrested by men of the Nigerian Army for gunrunning have disclosed that they bought each the 42 bullets found with them from an unidentified soldier for N3,000.
The Nigerian Army, in a statement on Tuesday, October 12, said troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE arrested the four men it described as illegal arms fabricators and gunrunners during coordinated intelligence-driven operations in Mangu and Barkin Ladi local government areas of Plateau State.
The names of those arrested were given as Ayuba Sunday Abot, said to be an illegal arms fabricator operating in Heipang, Barkin Ladi, and three gunrunners identified as Tangkat Danjuma, Kopdi Appollos and Nyam Nzang, who operated across Mangu and Barkin Ladi local government areas.
The operations also led to the recovery ofone locally-fabricated revolver rifle, one locally fabricated pistol, one fabricated AK-47 barrel, one AK-47 magazine and 42 rounds of 7.62 × 54mm ammunition, alongside other items suspected to be associated with the illegal activities.
It was gathered that while acting on credible intelligence received on October 4, troops of Sectors 8 and 4 conducted coordinated covert operations between October 7 and 21, leading to the arrest of the men.
During their preliminary interrogation, they were said to have revealed that the recovered 42 rounds of ammunition were purchased at ₦3,000 each from an unidentified soldier.
“The allegation, which remains unverified, is being thoroughly investigated to establish its authenticity and identify any persons who may have been involved in the alleged transaction,” the army said in a statement.
The four men and the recovered items are currently in the custody of Headquarters, Operation ENDURING PEACE, for further investigation and necessary action.
Troops are also intensifying intelligence exploitation and follow-up operations to identify other members of the criminal network and dismantle illegal arms supply chains across the state, the Nigerian Army added.
