Soldiers arrest gunrunner with N1.2m to purchase weapons

The Nigerian Army in a statement on Sunday, March 24, said soldiers have arrested a man described as a “gunrunner” after he was found with the sum of N1.2 million he intended to buy weapons.

The Nigerian Army announced the arrest on its X handle on Sunday afternoon, saying the man, whose name was given as Mansur Mohammad, was arrested by troops of 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke, following intelligence reports gathered about his activities.

It was gathered that the man, described as a member of a high-profile gun running syndicate in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State, was arrested while he was on his way to procure the weapons with the money.

The Nigerian Army wrote: “Acting on actionable intelligence from a reliable informant, troops laid an ambush and successfully arrested Alhaji Mansur Mohammad in possession of N1,200,000 intended for the illegal procurement of arms. Preliminary investigations revealed that the funds were traced back to sponsors in Bauchi State.”

He was said to have given more useful information to the soldiers and he is expected to be prosecuted at the conclusion of the investigation.

The Nigerian Army has, in recent times, launched manhunt for gunrunners in some parts of the country and has arrested many of them while a number of weapons has been recovered. Some of those arrested had been charged to courts.