Soldiers Arrest Gunrunners, Foil Kidnap Attempt In Benue

The Nigerian Army has arrested a gunrunning syndicate and thwarted a kidnap attempt in Taraba and Benue states.

Announcing the development in a statement, the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed that the troops, in collaboration with local vigilantes, captured one of the suspects, Mansir Mohammed at Jalingo Motor Park.

Naija News reports that Mohammed was accused of being a key player in a network supplying firearms to terrorists.

“His arrest led to the nabbing of other members of his syndicate and the recovery of one Semi Automatic Pump Action gun, one locally fabricated gun, a Peugeot car, five mobile phones, and the sum of N45,000 only,” the statement read.

The operation in Taraba also saw the interception of two terrorist suspects in Miyande Village, Takum Local Government Area.

The suspects were found with an automatic rifle hidden beneath the seat of their motorbike.

Items recovered in this operation included one AK-47 rifle, five rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and the motorcycle used by the suspects.

In a related development in Benue State, the army responded to a distress call about a kidnap attempt within Zaki-Biam Town, Zaki-Biam Local Government Area.

“During the intervention, troops neutralised one kidnapper in a shootout with the criminals and recovered a Beretta pistol with four rounds of 9mm ammunition,” Major General Nwachukwu added.