The arrest of a suspect, Ntuyi Lambert, whose father is from Cross Rivers State and Mother from Cameroon, with 38 raps of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and recovery of one International Communication Equipment ‘Thuraya’, from him in Uyo, by Police Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team, formed the highpoint of the parade of 39 criminal suspects by CP Frank Mba, Force Public Relations Officer in Abuja on Monday.
The Force Public Relations Officer was supported during the parade by the Commander of the Special Tactical Squad, DCP Kolo Yusuf and the new Commander of the Police IRT, DCP Tunji Disu.
Also recovered from the 58-year-old suspect who was described as a Secessionist arms supplier of explosives, arms and ammunition to Cameroon Secessionists by CP Mba, were over 216 rounds of live ammunition all meant for a movement to Cameroon. The suspect claimed that he sells a carton of the explosives for #70, 000 each.
Another suspect, Joseph Okala, 78 years old native of Agatu in Benue state but resides in Makurdi who was arrested in possession of two Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers claimed one of his friends asked him to keep the weapons for him before he was arrested.
Also paraded was 46 years old Zakaria Yahaya arrested by the Police Special Tactical Squad who confessed that he is the head of a gang of cybercrime crooks who goes after sim cards and phone numbers of innocent people or unsuspecting members of the public.
“They engage in snatching of phones through pickpocketing. They are not interested in the phone, no matter how expensive. All they are after is the sim card. Once they get the sim card, Zakaria will reset the sim card, trace the bank account details of the person and steal the money found in the account”, the FPRO said.
Asked how many people his gang had defrauded or whose account had been broken into using their stolen sim card, Zakaria said they are too numerous for him to remember adding that in one of the operations, he stole #800, 000 from an account.
He said the banks that favour them, which were easier for them to break into using his resetting skills were First Bank of Nigeria and Access Bank adding that the gang so far have been operating in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Plateau and Kano states.
CP Frank Mba urged phone users particularly those who had used MTN sim cards and were not loner using them, either because they travelled or are no longer comfortable with the numbers, to go recall the numbers because it is these dormant numbers they look out for and use in perpetrating the crime.
Disclosing that a total of 13 AK 47 rifles, 2 RPG Launchers, 750 AK 47 live ammunition, 11 AK 47 magazines were recovered from the suspects, the FPRO said arms and ammunition recovered from criminal suspects are treated as exhibits and used for forensic evaluation.
“We register them as exhibits. They are used for investigations and later for prosecution. They are used to establish cases against the suspects in a court of law. Once the cases are over, what we do with the arms and ammunition are tied to the outcome of the judgment of the court”.
On the proliferation of illicit arms, CP Mba said, “The Nigeria Police Force deserves commendation for the way it has gone about mopping up of small and illicit arms and ammunition across the country. The challenges are however challenges of border control activities of arms merchants, destabilization of the Sahel region, the collapse of Libya which is making arms available to insurgents and bandits”.
“But we have dismantled a lot of international arms syndicates. We will strengthen inter-agency cooperation with sister security agencies like the Custom and Nigerian Immigration Service towards checkmating arms inflow into the country.
On the situation in Jos, Mba said “the Inspector General of Police on Monday deployed a Police helicopter to conduct surveillance patrols, while order assets of the force were also deployed adding, “We have been able to stabilize the situation while scores of suspects arrested are already being profiled.”
