A dismissed officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command for supplying sophisticated firearms to bandits operating in the Abuja-Kaduna forests.
The Officer in Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command, Mustafa Mohammed who described the arrest as a critical breakthrough, while briefing newsmen on Wednesday, said the suspect was apprehended following an intelligence-led operation, preventing the weapons from reaching criminal elements.
“Acting on intelligence, the command intercepted these guns from a dismissed immigration officer attempting to sell them to bandits terrorising the Abuja-Kaduna forest,” Mohammed said.
“The intelligence was received in time, and the arms were intercepted while he was trying to make the delivery.
“Among the seized weapons was a Scorpion CZ EVO3, an advanced, fully automatic firearm equipped with an inbuilt silencer.
“This is the latest model, the 2022 version of the Scorpion series. It can be used in single, automatic, or burst mode.
“It is a highly sophisticated weapon, and its magazine can hold between 20 to 30 rounds, depending on the configuration.
“We also recovered 52 rounds of ammunition which could have posed a severe threat had they fallen into the hands of criminals,” Mohammed added.
Also speaking with journalists, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, disclosed that 300 suspects were arrested between January and February 28, 2025, as part of intensified security operations across the capital.
“In its sustained effort to rid the FCT of crime and criminal elements, the police command has intensified its operations, carrying out a series of high-impact raids,” the CP stated.
He added that those arrested include 59 armed robbers, 10 kidnappers and their informants, 16 cultists, while security forces neutralised nine armed robbers and seven kidnappers.
Disu further revealed that the police conducted targeted raids in crime-prone areas, including Dei-Dei, Karu, Gwarinpa, Jikwoyi, Karimo, and Maitama, while abandoned buildings used as criminal hideouts would face continuous monitoring.
Source: Ripples