Troops arrest dismissed police inspector over arms trafficking in Plateau

Troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP) have arrested a dismissed police inspector suspected of being part of an interstate arms trafficking syndicate operating across several parts of the country.

Security sources said the suspect was apprehended during an intelligence-led operation carried out by troops of Sector 6 in collaboration with the Headquarters of Operation ENDURING PEACE.

The operation followed credible intelligence on the movement of illegal arms across state boundaries.

According to the sources, the suspect was travelling in a white Peugeot vehicle from Jos South Local Government Area towards the Makera axis of Riyom Local Government Area in Plateau State when he was placed under surveillance and intercepted at a military checkpoint in Makera.

A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of two locally made pistols, 167 rounds of 9mm ammunition, three cans of pepper spray and a jack knife.

Other items recovered included two mobile phones, two cutlasses, a police staff identification tag, photographs of the suspect in police uniform, two Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards, a National Identification Number card and N73,300 in cash.

Preliminary investigations identified the suspect as Danjuma Yusuf, a former inspector attached to Police Base 7 in Abuja, who was reportedly dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force.

Security sources further disclosed that intelligence reports linked Yusuf to an interstate arms trafficking network allegedly supplying weapons to criminal groups involved in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.

The suspect is currently in military custody and undergoing further interrogation, while investigations are ongoing to identify other members of the syndicate, including financiers, suppliers and collaborators.

Military authorities described the arrest as a major breakthrough in efforts to curb the proliferation of illegal weapons and dismantle criminal networks fuelling insecurity across the country.

They also urged members of the public to continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies to support ongoing operations against criminal elements.