POLICE ARREST ARMS, DRUG SUPPLIERS LINKED TO BANDITS ACROSS NIGERIA
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested several suspects allegedly involved in supplying arms and illicit drugs to bandits operating in different parts of the country.
The arrests were disclosed on Tuesday during a press briefing in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin.
Hundeyin said two suspected arms suppliers, John Magah, 45, and Ishaya Stephen, 43, were arrested during an ongoing investigation by the IRT. Recovered from the suspects were one AK-47 rifle, one magazine, one pump-action gun and four live cartridges.
According to the police spokesperson, investigations revealed that the duo had been supplying weapons to bandits and to one Daudume Bayina, who has also been arrested by the IRT. He added that Magah was identified as a local gun fabricator who facilitated the sale of arms and ammunition.
“Both suspects have been in the business of selling arms for over five years and operate within Adamawa State and along the Cameroonian border. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the crime syndicate,” Hundeyin said.
In a separate operation, the police arrested a suspected illicit drug supplier, Ifeanyi Egbeke, 40, on November 2, 2025, in Kaduna State. Hundeyin said the suspect was intercepted in collaboration with the Department of State Services.
Recovered from Egbeke were 39 rolls and four packets of tramadol, 326 bottles of codeine, 52 rolls and eight sachets of BP injection syrups, 38 rolls and four sachets of Hypnos tablets, as well as a roll of Indian hemp. Investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly supplied the drugs to bandits operating in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states.
The police also announced the arrest of an alleged gunrunner, Salisu Mohammed, popularly known as Mande Dawa, in Birnin Tasaba village, Zumi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Items recovered from him included one AK-47 rifle, two magazines and 32 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed in a 50kg bag of millet. The suspect reportedly confessed to delivering weapons to bandits along the Obajana axis of Kogi State.
In another case, operatives arrested one Uchenna Ikpe while driving a trailer from Lagos to Abuja, in which 24 bags of Indian hemp were concealed. The suspect allegedly admitted that he was to deliver the drugs to Abuja for a fee of N150,000.
Hundeyin further disclosed the arrest of Yunana Iliya, also known as Bado, 34, in Kaduna State over alleged arms dealing and kidnapping. Five AK-47 rifles and 150 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the suspect, who reportedly confessed to supplying arms to bandits and participating in the kidnapping of four children.
The police said investigations are ongoing in all the cases, while efforts are being intensified to arrest other suspects connected to the criminal networks.
Hundeyin reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to dismantling arms and drug supply chains that fuel banditry and other violent crimes across the country.
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