Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, have arrested thirty-nine suspects for their involvement in series of violent crimes including armed robbery, kidnapping, murder, arms trafficking and cybercrime in some parts of the country.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO, CP Frank Mba, disclosed that the arrest was made possible following unrelenting investigative and operational efforts aimed at bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice and giving succour to their victims.
TheFact Nigeria learns that among other incriminating items recovered from the suspects include 2 RPG launchers, 13 AK47 rifles, 4 locally made pistols, 58 wraps of dynamite, 769 AK47 live ammunition, 14 AK47 magazines, 30 live cartridges, mobile phones, and 157 SIM cards.
Notable among the cases is the arrest of a 4-man notorious trans-border arms smuggling syndicate in Cross River State, whose principal suspect, Ntui Lambert, a native of Ikom, in Cross River State, was arrested in possession of different calibres of sophisticated weapons, 58 wraps of explosive materials suspected to be dynamite, and ammunition.
Further investigations by the police team revealed that the suspect engages in transborder arms smuggling along with his three other gang members, who are members of a secessionist group in Cameroun.
So also is the arrest of one Yahaya Zakari a.k.a Excellency, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Yahaya is a member of a cybercrime syndicate that specializes in stealing mobile phones of innocent citizens, and using their SIM cards to gain access to their bank accounts to carry out unauthorized financial transactions.
Other members of his gang are Shehu Aliyu, Umar Abubakar and Abubakar Mohammed. A total of One hundred and fifty-seven SIM cards were recovered from the gang by the Police team.
In the same vein, two Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers were recovered from one 78-year- old Okala Joseph in Makurdi, Benue State. Investigations revealed that the suspect is a middleman between criminal suppliers of the weapon and the end-users. He is currently assisting the Police with vital information that will further help in breaking the supply chain and arresting other suspects.
Meanwhike, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has reassured citizens of the Force’s dogged committment to ensuring that perpetrators of criminal acts are brought to book and justice served to their victims.
He enjoined members of the public to be vigilant and promptly report any suspicious act to the Police, while further advising that citizens exercise necessary caution in the use of their mobile phones, especially those with SIM cards linked to their bank accounts.
All the suspects will be charged to court on completion of investigations.
