The Nasarawa State Police Command has recovered 38 firearms, over 4,200 rounds of live ammunition, and arrested nine suspects for alleged gunrunning, illegal arms manufacture, and impersonation of security personnel.
Commissioner of Police Shettima Mohammed-Jauro, while briefing journalists on Tuesday in Lafia, said the breakthrough came during operations conducted between August 31 and September 7 across parts of Nasarawa and Benue states.
He disclosed that on September 7, acting on intelligence, operatives stormed a forest in Kadarko, Keana Local Government Area, where suspected gunrunners were offloading weapons.
Although the suspects fled, police recovered four AK-49 rifles, three AK-47 rifles, a G3 rifle, a submachine gun, 11 magazines, and 4,046 rounds of ammunition, among other items.
Earlier, on September 6, officers arrested one John Paul, a resident of Abuja, along the Akwanga–Wamba axis, while he was transporting five locally fabricated rifles to the Federal Capital Territory. Two suspected gun manufacturers, James Philip and Alpha Philip, were also arrested on August 31 in Shabu, Lafia Local Government Area.
Further investigations, according to the CP, led to the arrest of four suspected arms buyers and distributors, alongside the recovery of 13 single-barrel long guns, 10 shotguns, a revolver, swords, charms, police uniforms, and gun-making machines.
In a separate incident on September 7, operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit intercepted a Peugeot 508 vehicle near the College of Agriculture Junction in Lafia.
The three occupants, who posed as soldiers, were found with military uniforms but had no identification.
Mohammed-Jauro commended officers for their efforts and thanked residents for providing actionable intelligence. He assured the public of the command’s determination to rid the state of criminal networks while urging continued cooperation with security agencies.