Police intercept arms dealers smuggling weapons from Benue to Kwara

The Nasarawa State Police Command, in the early hours of Wednesday, arrested two suspected arms dealers allegedly transporting sophisticated firearms from Benue State to Ilorin, Kwara State.

This development follows growing indications that armed herdsmen responsible for attacks in Benue communities may be relocating, after the Chief of Army Staff recently moved his operational base to Benue as part of a renewed military offensive against terror groups in the region.

In a press statement issued Wednesday in Lafia, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ranham Nansel, described the interception as a significant achievement in the ongoing fight against arms trafficking and insecurity in the region.

He said, “Two suspected gun runners travelling through Lafia in possession of a large cache of high-grade firearms and ammunition en route to Ilorin, Kwara State, from Benue State.”

Nansel explained that the operation was made possible through actionable intelligence, which prompted the swift deployment of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.

He said the unit carried out an “intense and meticulous operation” that led to the arrest of two suspects: Lawal Sani, a 40-year-old commercial bus driver from Makwalla in Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State, and Dahiru Abdullahi, a 75-year-old cattle trader from Angwan Dosa in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, who is known to operate within the Keffi Cattle Market.

The Police disclosed that the items recovered during the operation include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), three AK-47 rifles, one TAB 06 rifle, 1,096 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 20 rounds of 7.62mm NATO calibre ammunition, four empty magazines, and a grey Toyota Hiace bus with registration number AAA 926 XL.

According to SP Nansel, “The suspects confessed to being paid N500,000 to transport the weapons from Benue to Kwara State—a transaction that could have armed multiple criminal networks.”

He added, “They have been taken into custody, and a full-scale investigation is currently underway to uncover the network behind this operation.”

The Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu Nadada, emphasized that the arrest should serve as a warning to criminal elements attempting to use the state as a transit route.

“This operation sends a resounding message to all criminal elements. Nasarawa State is not a safe corridor for crime,” he said.

Reaffirming the Command’s commitment to public safety, he added, “We remain unshaken in our resolve to dismantle illegal arms networks and protect the lives of innocent Nigerians. We call on the public to stay alert and continue reporting suspicious activity through the official hotlines: 08112692680, 08032564469, 08036157659, 08037461715, 07032532391.”