Two suspects dealing in arms and ammunition, Dung Rwang and Dachollum Yohanna, have been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with 1,360 rounds of live ammunition.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Bauchi State Command of the NDLEA on patrol along the Bauchi-Jos Road.
Our correspondent learned that the suspects had boarded a commercial car from Numa, Adamawa State, and were heading for Jos, Plateau State, where they wanted to sell the ammunition, including one AK-47 magazine.
The weapons were reportedly concealed in sacks and kept in the boot of the vehicle.
The spokesperson for the anti-narcotic agency, Jonah Achema, said in a statement on Wednesday that the suspects, who were among the seven passengers in the car, owned up to the crime.
He said, “The NDLEA has intercepted 1,360 rounds of live ammunition of 7.6mm calibre during a motorized patrol along the Bauchi-Jos Road. The ammunition was being conveyed to Jos, Plateau State, by a commercial Vectra car, which was conveying seven passengers. One AK-47 magazine was also found in the vehicle.
“Upon interrogation, two of the passengers, Dung Rwang and Dachollum Yohanna, admitted ownership of the ammunition and the magazine, which they neatly concealed in two sacks and kept in the boot of the vehicle. They were conveying the consignment from Numan in Adamawa State to certain buyers in Plateau State. The suspects have been unable to produce any official permit for the items.”
Achema stated that the suspects confessed that they had been into illegal arms dealing for some time, selling a piece of ammunition “for N500 only.”
“It is a business for us. Things are really hard in this country and we need to sell these items so that we can put food on the table for our families,” one of the suspects, Yohanna, was quoted to have said.
The Bauchi State Commander, NDLEA, Segun Oke, said the suspects and the exhibits would be handed over to the state police command for further investigation.