Arms Dealer Arrested In Adamawa

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, on Monday confirmed the rescue of two kidnapped victims, recovery of firearms, stolen vehicles, and cult-related items in an intelligence-led operation across Delta, Edo, Katsina, and Adamawa States on June 26, 2025.

During the operations, police operatives arrested at least ten suspects and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, including AK-47 rifles, locally fabricated guns, English-made firearms, magazines, and over 200 rounds of live ammunition.

Also recovered were stolen vehicles, mobile phones, laptops, and fetish items. Two kidnapped victims were rescued unhurt during a gunfight in Edo State.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, stated in a press release on Monday that the operations were intelligence-led and executed in partnership with local vigilante groups in certain areas.

In Edo State, police operatives rescued two farm workers—Godday Irieude and Wisdom Emeka—who were abducted at about 1:00 a.m. on June 26, 2025, from the Ewatto area.

Acting on actionable intelligence, officers, in collaboration with vigilantes, raided the kidnappers’ hideout.

In a gun battle, Adejobi said the abductors fled with gunshot injuries, while the victims were rescued without harm.

In Delta State, officers executed multiple raids based on credible intelligence.

He said, “At Mosogar area, two suspected cultists, Koko Josh (29) and Asomugha Clinton (27), were apprehended following a house search.

“Recovered items included one fabricated Beretta pistol loaded with two rounds, two locally made firearms, eight cartridges, mobile phones, a laptop, and fetish materials.

“Investigators later arrested two additional members of the same cult group, identified as Anthony Kelvin (26) and Gift Amotsuka (25), all confirmed to belong to the Aiye Confraternity”.

Still in Delta, police operatives raided the Okpanam area, arresting Ekene Chroma (36) and Okafor Jonathan (18).

The suspects were found in possession of two English-made single-barrel guns and 110 live cartridges.

Preliminary findings indicated their involvement in illegal arms trading, supplying weapons to criminal groups.

In Katsina State, operatives from the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) apprehended Yunusa Ishaku (40) in Funtua for possessing two stolen vehicles: a Toyota Hiace bus and a Toyota Camry.

Under interrogation, Ishaku confessed to being part of a cross-country car theft syndicate that targets vehicles in Abuja, Jos, and other cities.

He also revealed that “the stolen cars are smuggled into Niger Republic for resale. Based on his confession, the police located three more stolen vehicles—Honda Accord, Toyota Carina II, and Toyota Camry 1998—in Zamfara and Bauchi States.”

Adejobi noted that efforts to arrest his accomplices and recover additional stolen items are ongoing.

In a separate operation in Adamawa State, FID-IRT operatives arrested Alhaji Iya Bima (52) from Kem Shithem Local Government Area.

Bima was found in possession of “one AK-47 rifle, two magazines, and fifty rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition”.

Further interrogation led to the recovery of “another AK-47 rifle, three additional magazines, and 50 more rounds of ammunition”.

Egbetokun confirmed that all suspects will face prosecution upon the conclusion of investigations.

He also reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led interventions to dismantle criminal networks threatening national security.