The Zamfara command of the Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the arrest of a 58-year-old Algerian citizen on charges of suspected transborder arms trafficking.
The development was announced in Gausa, the state capital on Tuesday by Mohammed Dalijan, the Commissioner of Police for the state.
Dalijan reported that the police seized 16 AK47 rifles during a series of operations conducted over the past three weeks.
Additionally, he noted that the command recovered one double-barreled shotgun and one locally manufactured pistol from an individual believed to be an arms manufacturer located in Jos, Plateau.
”The command, acting on intelligence, traced and arrested an arms manufacturer in Jos and tracked and arrested a regional arms trafficker from Algeria at the Illela border point.
”The suspected Algerian told the police he had been committing this crime for eight years.
”The suspect supplies arms and ammunition to bandits in all parts of the northwestern states.
“At the point of the arrest, four AK47s were recovered from him,” he said.
Dalijan said the police also detained some suspects, including bandits and motorcycle suppliers.
“The police recovered live ammunition and N2.5 million cash, among others, from the suspects,” he said.
The police commissioner stated that law enforcement had apprehended several illegal gold miners and seized multiple mining excavators.
He emphasized that the prohibition on illegal mining imposed by both the federal and state governments remains in effect.