The Nigeria Police Wednesday paraded 108 suspects for armed robbery, kidnapping, gun-running, drug trafficking, banditry among other violent crimes in Abuja
The suspects were arrested during operations in different States of the federation by men of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team(IRT), and IGP Special Task Force(STS).
Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, who paraded the suspects at the STS office, in Abuja, said the team recovered various weapons, arms, and ammunition from the suspects.
Mba, listed the recovered weapons from the gang members to include: 30 firearms, including rifles, locally produced pistols, 1,520 live ammunition, illicit drugs, and some money.
Mba said that IRT operatives apprehended Ali, 29, a Nigerien, who specialised in altering the International Mobile Equipment Identity number of stolen mobile phones.
The suspect who hails from Maradi, Niger Republic, said he used apps to alter the IMEI of Mobile phones, adding that he was taught the skill by someone whose name he refused to disclose.
He explained through an interpreter that:
“I was taught how to change phone IMEI by some people and I also repair and cell phones and chargers”.
He was however ,prevented by the police from giving details of his nefarious activities before the press so as not to jeopardise investigations.
Also paraded was a suspected gun-runner, Numan, who allegedly sold firearms to criminal gangs and confessed to the police that he supplied over seven AK47 rifles to bandits and made a profit of about N150,000 on each rifle before he was arrested.
He told a journalist in an interview that:
“I buy each AK47 rifle for N450,000 and sell for between N650,000 and N700,000. I have sold over seven rifles and 200 ammunition to bandits. I used to buy them from Halilu in the Niger Republic; this is the second time that I have been arrested for the same offence “.
