The Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has apprehended nine suspects and recovered 4,264 rounds of ammunition during recent operations conducted across all 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
Commissioner of Police, Shetima Mohammed, revealed this during a press briefing held on Tuesday at the command headquarters in Lafia, the state capital.
Highlighting a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts to combat violent crime, CP Mohammed stated that a substantial quantity of firearms and ammunition was recently seized by police officers in Keana Local Government Area.
He said, “On September 7, 2025, at about 1830hrs, based on credible intelligence that suspected gun runners alleged to be from Benue State were sighted in a forest bordering Kadarko, Keana LGA, offloading arms and ammunition for onward distribution to their criminal partners, I personally led a team of operatives to the location.
“On sighting the operatives, the suspects abandoned their luggage and fled deep into the forest. A search of the scene led to the recovery of the following exhibits: Four AK-49 rifles, three AK-47 rifles, one G3 rifle, one Sub-Machine gun, Eleven magazines, 4,046 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, eleven rounds of 5.5mm ammunition, 132 rounds of 38mm ammunition, and seventy-five cartridges.”
Mohammed further narrated how operatives of the command, during an operation on September 6, 2025, while acting on actionable intelligence, arrested a suspect named John Paul from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, along the Akwanga-Wamba Motor Park in the state en route to Abuja.
He noted that a thorough search was conducted, during which five locally fabricated rifles were recovered in his possession, adding that the suspect had made useful statements, and investigation is ongoing to apprehend his collaborators.
In another development, the Commissioner of Police noted that on August 31, 2025, at about 0300hrs, operatives attached to the ‘E’ Division in Shabu, a sub-hub of Lafia, arrested two notorious gun manufacturers, James Philip and Alpha Philip, both males of Faferuwa area in the Lafia LGA.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of four major buyers and distributors of the fabricated arms, namely: Usman Abubakar, male, of Shendam Road, Lafia; Yakubu Danladi, male, of Mararaba Akunza, Lafia; Usman Kasimu alias Bobo, male, of Bukan Sidi, Lafia; Abdullahi Adamu, male, also of Bukan Sidi, Lafia.
He noted that recovered exhibits from the suspects include “Thirteen (13) long-range single-barrel guns, Ten (10) short guns, One (1) revolver gun, Three (3) swords, Three (3) police uniforms and a face cap, Three (3) gun-manufacturing machines and tools, and various criminal charms.”
While commending the gallantry of officers and men of the command for their tireless efforts in the fight against crime in Nasarawa State, the Commissioner of Police reassured residents across the 13 LGAs that the command would not relent in its determination to rid the state of criminal elements.
“I urge everyone to remain vigilant, law-abiding, and supportive of security agencies through timely information sharing,” CP Shetima Mohammed added.
Recall that the Command had last Friday that its operatives foiled an attempted trafficking of three children in the Mararaba area of Karu Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, revealed that a 22-year-old female suspect, Aisha Hashiru, was apprehended by members of the public at the popular Orange Market in Mararaba while attempting to abduct the three minors.