The Kaduna State Police Command has intercepted a consignment of arms and ammunition allegedly being transported into the state and arrested four suspects in separate operations.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists on the command’s recent operations against banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes in the state.

He said the major breakthrough occurred on August 25, when police operatives responded to a distress call about a man behaving suspiciously at Yan’Karfe Motor Park in Sabon Gari, Zaria.

According to him, the suspect, identified as Kenneth, 39, from Delta State, was arrested while struggling with a sack said to contain potatoes.

A search of the sack, he said, uncovered two AK-49 rifles, 228 rounds of RPG ammunition, 275 rounds of 7.62mm AK-47 ammunition, five AK-47 magazines and quantities of suspected hard drugs.

Muhammad said the suspect was being investigated, adding that the recovery had dealt a significant blow to the illicit arms supply chain in the state.

In a separate operation the same day, police operatives on stop-and-search duty along Kachia Road intercepted a motorcyclist carrying a sack containing 134 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition.

The suspect allegedly told investigators that he was sent by a notorious armed bandit known as Yellow Mai-million to collect and deliver the ammunition.

The commissioner also announced the arrest of three suspected members of an armed bandit gang along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.

He said the suspects, Ibrahim Muhammad, 25, Usman Tukur, 27, and Hassan Alhaji Salisu, 23, were arrested on August 24 following credible intelligence.

Muhammad said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects operated around Millennium City and other parts of Kaduna.

He added that another suspect arrested in Sabon Tasha was found with a locally made double-barrel gun, a handcuff, live ammunition, a POS machine, a drilling machine and security uniforms.

The command also arrested three suspects over alleged armed robbery and rape in communities around Rafin Tukurwa, behind Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

According to the commissioner, the suspects allegedly confessed to multiple attacks in Gidan Kira, Magata and Gidan Maranta villages, where victims were reportedly robbed at knifepoint and sexually assaulted.

He said several victims and village heads had also come forward with complaints against one of the suspects.

Muhammad further disclosed that two suspects were arrested in connection with the alleged vandalisation of a transformer at the Infectious Disease Centre, Mando, after security guards at the facility were reportedly tied up.

He condemned attacks on critical infrastructure, describing them as acts of sabotage capable of undermining public health and safety.

The commissioner urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely information to the police, saying the command would continue to intensify intelligence gathering, community engagement and targeted operations against criminals.(Daily Trust)