Niger Police Command Raises the Alarm over Arms Smuggling from Benin Republic

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The police have raised an alarm that arms and ammunition are now being imported into the country from Benin Republic.

Some criminally-minded Nigerians, according to the Niger State police command, bring in the lethal materials through the Babana borders in Borgu Local Government Area of the state.

This development is coming on the heels of the arrest of not less than 104 suspects within the month of February alone.

State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, who briefed journalists on the efforts of the force to clamp down on criminals and criminality, said not less than 12 revolvers and pistols were recovered from those bringing in arms into the country “just in one arrest.”

A number of suspects among those arrested are already helping the police in its investigation into the gun running syndicate.

Elkana said some of those arrested were also for kidnapping, armed robbery, homicide while the command also recovered three AK47 rifles, 334 rounds of live ammunition, one sub machine gun rifle with six rounds of live ammunition 12 single barrel guns, four locally made pistols.

The police spokesman added that 673 rustled cattle 240 of them at Garatu village near Minna were also recovered and returned to their owners.

Elkana said the operations against criminals were jointly carried out by the Inspector General of Police Tactical Unit, the Federal Special Anti-robbery squad and the team from the state command.
“A lot of technology was deployed in these operations, and we used tracking device to locate hideouts of kidnapers.”

The PPRO, however, said there was no major attack by cattle rustlers in the state in the month of February.