The Yobe State Police Command has dismantled a suspected illegal firearms production centre in Potiskum Local Government Area, leading to the arrest of seven individuals allegedly involved in the manufacture of locally made weapons.
The suspects were apprehended during a police operation carried out at a blacksmith workshop located at Tasha Adua, along Danchuwa Road in Potiskum on Monday.
Confirming the development in a statement issued on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, said the operation marked another success in the command’s efforts to tackle criminal activities across the state.
“The Yobe State Police Command has recorded another significant breakthrough in its sustained efforts to combat crime and criminality across the state,” the statement read.
Abdulkarim explained that the raid was conducted by operatives of the Potiskum Area Command working alongside personnel from the Divisional Police Headquarters after receiving intelligence about the alleged illegal production of firearms in the area.
According to him, the suspects were arrested at the workshop while various items believed to be connected to the operation were recovered.
The exhibits seized during the raid included two fabricated pistols, 24 muzzle pipes, nine gun butts, four unserviceable Dane guns, a filing machine and a cutlass.
“The operation was carried out following credible intelligence on the activities of some blacksmiths engaged in the illegal fabrication of firearms,” Abdulkarim said.
He stated that the suspects remain in police custody and are being investigated as authorities work to uncover possible accomplices, trace potential buyers and determine the intended use of the weapons.
The police spokesperson further disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Usman Kanfani Jibrin, has directed investigators to widen the scope of the probe in order to identify other illegal firearms manufacturing centres and evaluate the security risks posed by such operations.
He also called on members of the public to stay alert and promptly report any suspicious activities to security agencies.