The Department of State Services said on Saturday that it had arrested one Garba Abubakar, who it claimed was a gun fabricator for Boko Haram.
It said that Abubakar was arrested in Jos, Plateau State, during a special tactical operation by the Service.
A statement issued by the department’s spokesman Tony Opuiyo, said that the arrest was in line with the Service’s statutory mandate, and avowed commitment to national security.
He described Abubakar, an engineer who was arrested on March 2, 2016, as “a major gun fabricator, arms-runner and a covert linkman/courier for the Boko Haram group.”
Opuiyo claimed that during the arrest, two pistols, 80 rounds of live ammunition and several sensitive documents were recovered from him.
He added that in a bid to employ propaganda to manipulate the international community against the efforts of the Federal Government, in the ongoing war against terror in the North-West region, the suspect had approached a foreign mission in Nigeria for logistics and financial support to fight the Boko Haram.
The statement said, “However, unknown to the mission, he is actually an unauthorized gun-maker/runner with intent for mischief and communal strife in the North-Central region.”
He added that in furtherance of exploited leads, the Service apprehended other suspected associates of the gun-runner.
Those listed were Umar Khalil Muhammed and Mohammed Yakubu Tahir, aka Mallam Yaro, who he said were also apprehended March 2.
Opuiyo said that Muhammed was arrested at Layin Oscar in Jos South LGA, while Tahir was apprehended up at Mista Ali area, along Jos-Zaria road in Bassa LGA.
Opuiyo said, “The duo are accomplices and active marketers of Abubakar and his products to criminal elements in the North-Central region of the Country.”
In strengthening its counter-terrorism strategy, he said that the Service also arrested one Armaya’u Yakubu a.k.a Ali Tekwando, Yakubu Sule and Usman Ibrahim on 3rd March, 2016, at Hayin Danmani area in Kaduna metropolis.
He alleged that the three men were members of an extremist cell under the coordination of Yakubu, with affiliation to the proscribed extremist group, ANSARU.
Opuiyo further alleged that the three suspects had been perfecting plans to travel to Sudan, for terrorist training with other radical elements of the group.
He reemphasize the resolve of the Service to sustain the fight against organized vices and criminalities by terrorists, kidnappers, fraudsters and other deviant elements in the country.
Opuiyo urged law abiding Nigerians and indeed, all residents to continue to support law enforcement/security agencies, with proactive and actionable intelligence, for the sustenance of peace, law and order.
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