Police on Tuesday paraded a nine-man gang who deals in sales of different types of guns to bandits, robbers, kidnappers among others.
Among the suspects arrested and paraded was Anthony Baye, who had once been arrested, tried and imprisoned for the same offence and later granted amnesty recently by one of the Northwest state governors.
Parading the suspects at the defunct headquarters of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Abuja, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, lamented the free flow of weapons and illicit drugs into the country.
He stressed that the operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), Special Tactical Squad (STS) and the Inspector-General of Police’ Intelligence Response Team, (IGP-IRT), under the Commanders of the duo of CP Abba Kyari and DCP Kolo Yusuf respectively would not relent in checking the illegalities.
Mba disclosed that a total of 10 sophisticated prohibited firearms, 2,496 AK47 live ammunition, 10 live cartridges, Cartons of Tramadol drugs worth over 3 million naira, bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp, two laptop computers, eight mobile phones and one Golf car used for ferrying ammunition to bandits in Kastina State amongst others, were recovered from the suspects during the operations.
The Police team also arrested two suspects, Daniel Baba, 28 years and one Andrew Gbagi, 30 years both from Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The suspects were arrested at the point of brokering a gun sales deal in the Kwali area of the FCT.
Investigations by the police revealed that the suspects specialize in selling all calibre of firearms to armed robbers and kidnappers in the FCT and its environs.
“They also carry out armed robbery operations in Paiko, Dobbi, Kwali, Gwagwalada and Abaji communities in the FCT.”
Mba noted that investigation is being intensified to locate their armoury, sponsors and other members of the gang now at large.