Nigerian police confirmed on Friday they have recently apprehended an official of a local government area suspected of supplying weapons to bandits in the country’s northern state of Kaduna.
Mohammed Jalige, a spokesman for the police in Kaduna, said in a statement the suspect, a “serving member” in the legislative council of a local government area of the state, was intercepted by police operatives on a recent routine patrol along a road in the Giwa area in Kaduna.
The police operatives recovered an AK47 rifle loaded with six rounds of live ammunition from the sack on the motorcycle ridden by the official, said Jalige.
He said the suspect had confessed to the crime after being taken into custody, admitting the firearm was meant to be delivered to gunmen, usually known as bandits in Nigeria, for “their nefarious activities”.
A full-scale investigation has been launched to ensure “all those connected with the said crime were apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law,” said the police spokesperson.
Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria’s northern and central regions, leading to kidnappings and deaths in recent months. Enditem
