The Niger State Police Command has apprehended a suspected gunrunner and dealer of locally made AK-47 rifles in Minna, the state capital. During the operation, three fabricated rifles were recovered.

Mustapha Ishaku, 21, of Kuta area of Shiroro local government was arrested in Mandela area of the state capital.

The Police command made this disclosure in Minna through the Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun.

He said Ishaku’s arrest was based on a credible tip-off police operatives attached to Crack Squad of the Command got.

Abiodun explained that in the course of investigation, he led the police team to a residence within Mandela area, where he claimed he was working as a guard and two other rifles were recovered from the premises where he hid them.

According to him, “The suspect was arrested on 17 March, 2024, in the Mandela area of Minna with three locally fabricated AK-47 rifles during an attempt to sell one of the rifles.”

He also disclosed that during interrogation, the suspect confessed that he was a welder at Kuta and that he had been working with one Bala who is at large, and that the said Bala specializes in carving the wooden parts of the rifles, while he fabricated the iron parts.

Abiodun further revealed that he confessed further that he had fabricated 21 rifles with Bala.

The command’s PRO added, “he (suspect) has sold three of the same rifles to some buyers at Izom, at the rate of N100, 000 each, while two rifles among the three recovered were also meant for supply at Izom at the same rate.”