Molly Kilete, Abuja
The police force headquarters yesterday paraded 29 suspected criminals and gunrunners in Abuja.
The suspects, who were arrested in Osun State and some states in the North East, are said to be specialists in illegal trading of arms and ammunition, which they bring in from Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic and Ghana.
They were found to be in possession of over 6,000 rounds of ammunition, 20 AK-47 riffles, 10 automatic pistols, 11 Dane guns, four pump action, various charms and dangerous equipment with which they use to strangulate their victims. The suspected gunrunners are said to be smuggling their weapons into the country through the porous boarders and selling to criminals for N500,000, for AK-47 riffles and N300,000, for a box of ammunition containing 700 rounds.
Parading the suspects before newsmen, Force public relations officer, Frank Mba, said the suspects were arrested by a combined team of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Special Tactical Force (STF).
Mba said that also arrested was a gang of kidnappers who specialized in killing their victims whose relatives refused to pay ransom. He said that a group of one-chance operators, who specialised in killing their victims after robbing them of their money and other valuables using iron strings, was also arrested and helping the police in their investigations.
Mba, who called for continuous support from the public, also advised them to be weary of the kind of vehicles they board, especially car hires, as criminals have invaded the business.
