JOS — Troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP) have arrested a dismissed police inspector suspected to be a key player in an interstate arms trafficking network operating across parts of Nigeria.
The arrest followed an intelligence-led operation carried out on Sunday by troops of Sector 6 in collaboration with Headquarters Operation ENDURING PEACE, based on credible information regarding the movement of illegal weapons across state lines.
According to military sources, the suspect was intercepted while travelling in a white Peugeot vehicle from Jos South towards the Makera axis of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The suspect had reportedly been placed under surveillance before troops stopped his vehicle at a military checkpoint in Makera. A subsequent search led to the recovery of two locally fabricated pistols, 167 rounds of 9mm ammunition, three cans of pepper spray and a jack knife.
Other items recovered from the suspect include two mobile phones, two cutlasses, a police staff identification tag, photographs showing him in police uniform, two ATM cards, a National Identification Number (NIN) card and cash totaling N73,300.
Preliminary investigations identified the suspect as Inspector Danjuma Yusuf, formerly attached to Nigeria Police Force Base 7 in Abuja, who had been dismissed from service.
Security sources said further intelligence indicates that Yusuf is allegedly a major figure in an interstate arms trafficking syndicate accused of supplying weapons to criminal groups involved in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The suspect is currently in military custody and undergoing further interrogation as security agencies seek to identify his associates, financiers and weapons supply channels.
Military authorities described the arrest as a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to combat the proliferation of illicit arms and dismantle criminal networks threatening national security.
“The operation underscores the effectiveness of intelligence-driven military operations aimed at disrupting illegal arms trafficking and enhancing public safety,” a source involved in the operation said.
The Nigerian Army reiterated its commitment to working with other security agencies to protect lives and property while sustaining offensive operations against criminal elements across the country.
The military also appealed to members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to assist security agencies in identifying and dismantling criminal networks.
