Two suspects have been arrested by personnel of the Nasarawa State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for illegal possession of firearms.
According to the State Commander of NDLEA, Peter Onche-Odaudu, during a press conference held in Lafia, the state capital, the suspects were apprehended on the Keffi-Nasarawa Road.
The Commander disclosed that a commercial vehicle was intercepted for a standard stop-and-search operation by the officers from the Keffi Area Command of the agency while conducting routine patrols on October 28, 2023.
“During the search, two suspects, Abdulrahman Sani, 20, and Ibrahim Usman, 20, were apprehended while en route to Nasarawa-Toto. They were found in possession of a locally made pistol and one cartridge, concealed in a black polythene bag,” he said.
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The state commander further stated that the suspects claimed they had received the firearm from an individual named Sani in Tashan Yaro, in Katsina State, with instructions to deliver it to a certain Babangida in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The suspects were told that upon delivery, they would be rewarded with N200,000, to be divided between themselves.
“They acknowledged that they were aware that the firearm in their possession is illegal,” Onche-Odaudu stated.
The Commander said the suspects would be transferred to the police for further investigation and appropriate legal action, saying at least four suspects have been transferred from NDLEA to the Nigerian Police Force due to the agency’s effective collaboration with other security agencies.
“In support of this inter-agency collaboration, for example, between 2022 and 2023 alone, at least four suspects have been transferred from us to the Nigerian Police Force,” he added.
Furthermore, the Commander urged residents to always provide the appropriate authorities with quality information to enhance security and safety in the state.