Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Police Command has arrested a former immigration officer while attempting to sell sophisticated firearms to bandits operating within the Abuja-Kaduna forests.
The arrest, according to FCT commissioner of police, Tunji Disu, followed an intelligence-driven operation by the police.
Speaking to journalists while parading the suspects before newsmen at the command headquarters in Abuja, the Officer in Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Mustafa Mohammed, said the operation prevented the arms from reaching criminal elements who he said could have made them deadly.
He said “Acting on intelligence, the command intercepted these guns from a dismissed immigration officer attempting to sell them to bandits terrorising the Abuja-Kaduna forest. The intelligence was received in time, and the arms were intercepted while he was trying to make the delivery.”
He listed items recovered from the suspect to include a Scorpion CZ EVO3, an advanced, fully automatic firearm with an inbuilt silencer.
According to him, “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”.
The Commissioner of Police, while briefing on the successes of the command in the last two months, said a total of 300 suspects were arrested between January and February 28, 2025.
Disu said: “In our sustained effort to rid the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of crime and criminal elements, the FCT Police Command has intensified its operations, carrying out a series of high-impact raids from January 1st to February 28th, 2025. These decisive actions, driven by intelligence and executed with tactical precision, have led to the arrest of 300 suspects and the recovery of a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and illicit substances.
“Demonstrating unwavering commitment to the safety of residents, the Command deployed specialized tactical teams to raid identified criminal hideouts and black spots across the FCT. These operations covered high-risk areas, including:
• Dei-Dei
• Karu
• Gwarinpa
• Jikwoyi
• Karimo
• Maitama
• Anti-kidnapping clearance operations in villages and communities bordering the FCT
“Recognizing the evolving tactics of criminal elements, Divisional Police Officers and Tactical Teams also conducted targeted raids on isolated locations where criminals often lay in wait for unsuspecting victims.
“Additionally, abandoned buildings across the city, frequently used as hideouts and bases for planning illicit activities, have been identified and will be subject to continuous monitoring and raids.”
