Matthew Onocheta
ZAMFARA, Nigeria – An Algerian arms trafficker has admitted to supplying weapons to terrorists across Nigeria’s northwestern states for eight years, police said on Tuesday in Zamfara State.
The suspect was reportedly arrested at the Illela border point, where police recovered four AK-47 rifles, Zamfara Police Commissioner Mohammed Dalijan said during a briefing in Gusau, the state capital.
”The suspected Algerian told the police he had been committing this crime for eight years,” Dalijan said.
He revealed that the police had carried out raids over the past three weeks, recovering 16 AK-47 rifles, one double-barrel gun, and a locally made pistol from an arms manufacturer based in Jos, the capital of the northcentral state of Plateau.
“The command, acting on intelligence, traced and arrested an arms manufacturer in Jos and tracked and arrested a regional arms trafficker from Algeria,” the police boss said.
In addition to these arrests, Dalijan confirmed the detention of several suspects, including bandits, motorcycle suppliers, and illegal gold miners.
“The police recovered live ammunition and N2.5 million cash, among others, from the suspects,” he stated.
The police boss reiterated the federal and state governments’ ban on illegal mining, warning that violators would face severe consequences.