The Yobe State Police Command has uncovered an illegal firearms fabrication factory in Potiskum Local Government Area and arrested seven suspected gunmakers.
The suspects were rounded up during a raid on a blacksmith workshop located at Tasha Adua along Danchuwa Road following intelligence reports on the illegal production of firearms.
Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, said operatives of the Potiskum Area Command, working with officers from the Divisional Police Headquarters, carried out the operation.
According to him, the raid led to the recovery of several dangerous exhibits, including two locally fabricated pistols, 24 muzzle pipes, nine gun butts, four unserviceable Dane guns, a filing machine and a cutlass.
“The operation followed credible intelligence on the activities of some blacksmiths engaged in the illegal fabrication of firearms,” Abdulkarim said.
He disclosed that the suspects are currently in police custody and undergoing investigation to uncover their collaborators, possible buyers and the intended use of the weapons.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Usman Kanfani Jibrin, has ordered an expanded investigation to track down other illegal firearms manufacturing centres and determine the extent of the security threat posed by the operation.
The police also appealed to residents to remain vigilant and continue providing useful information that could help security agencies tackle crime and criminality across the state.
