Police parade 108 suspected armed robbers, kidnappers, gunrunners, in Abuja

Molly Kilete, Abuja

The criminals were arrested during various operations in different states of the federation by men of the IGP Intelligence Response Team(IRT), and IGP Special Task Force(STS).

Force public relations officer Frank Mba, who paraded the suspects at the STS office, in Abuja, said the team recovered various weapons, arms and ammunitions from the suspects.

He listed the recovered weapons from the gang members to include 30 firearms, including locally-produced pistols, 1,520 live ammunition, illicit drugs and some cash also recovered from the suspects at the time of their arrests.

Mba, said that the IRT apprehended one Abdullahi Ali, 29, a Nigerien, who specializes in altering the International Mobile Equipment Identity number of stolen mobile phones.

The suspect who hails from Maradi, Niger Republic, said he used apps to alter the IMEI of Mobile phones, adding that he was taught the skill by someone whose name he refused to disclose.

He said: “I was taught how to change phone IMEI by some people and I also repair and sell phones and chargers,” he explained through an interpreter.

He was however, prevented by the police from giving details of his nefarious activities before the press so as not to jeopardize investigations.

Also paraded was a suspected gun-runner, Adamu Numan, who sold firearms to criminal gangs and said he had supplied over seven AK47 rifles to bandits and made a profit of about N150,000 on each rifle before he was arrested.

He told journalist in an interview that “I buy each AK47 rifle for N450,000 and sell for between N650,000 and N700,000. I have sold over seven rifles and 200 ammunition to bandits. I buy them from Muhammadu Halilu in Niger Republic; this is the second time that I have been arrested.”