81 suspected kidnappers, bandits paraded, 17 AK-47 rifles recovered
Operatives of the Nigerian Police Force have arrested a total of 81 suspects for various crimes including banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, murder, homicide and illegal manufacturing and distribution of vehicle number plates.
Items recovered from them were 45 firearms which included 17 AK-47 rifles, 20 locally made AK-47 rifles, one General Purpose Machine Gun, 9,877 AK-47 live ammunition, 80 pieces of illegally produced number plates and two Toyota cars and other dangerous weapons.
The police said the suspects consisting of 78 males and three females were arrested in different parts of the country in April and May.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police , at a news briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, said some of the suspects were arrested over alleged gun running, unlawful possession of firearms and other sundry offences.
According to him, the arrest of the suspects was a major achievement measured by the Intelligence Response Team and Special Tactical Squad.
He said, kidnap syndicates operating between borders of Sokoto State, Nigeria and Niger Republic were among the suspects arrested.
One of the suspects, who is also a leader of a transnational kidnap gang operating on the border of Sokoto and Niger Republic, Abdullahi Dalhatu admitted to have carried out several kidnap operations in Niger Republic and Nigeria.
Mba said the suspects had carried out several operations on both sides of the border, qualifying them to be described as trans-border kidnap syndicates.
