Peace Oladapo 
The Niger State Police Command has said it’s operatives have seized three fake firearms and detained a suspected gunrunner and dealer of AK-47s manufactured in the area in Minna on Saturday.
The 21-year-old suspects identified as Mustapha Ishaku of the Kuta neighbourhood of the Shiroro Local Government Area of the state was taken into custody by the state command in Mandela neighbourhood.
This was contained in a statement issued by the SP Wasiu Abiodun, the Public Relations Officer, the Police command in Minna.
Abiodun claimed that Ishaku’s arrest was the result of a reliable tip that police officers working with the Command’s Crack Squad received.
He clarified that throughout the course of the inquiry, he took the police team to a home in the Mandela neighborhood. There, he claimed to be employed as a guard, and two other guns were found hidden on the property.
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According to him, “The suspect was arrested on 17 March, 2024, in the Mandela area of Minna with three locally fabricated AK-47 rifles during an attempt to sell one of the rifles.”
He further revealed that the suspect admitted in oath that he was a Kuta welder and that he had been working with an at-large Bala, who was skilled at carving the wooden components of firearms while he manufactured the iron ones.
Abiodun went on to say that he further admitted to Bala that he had manufactured 21 rifles.
The command’s PRO added, “he (suspect) has sold three of the same rifles to some buyers at Izom, at the rate of N100, 000 each, while two rifles among the three recovered were also meant for supply at Izom at the same rate.”
