By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – In the bid to rid the state from notorious bandits and never do wells, troops of Operation Safe Haven, a joint security Operation in Plateau State has again arrested another set of gunrunners barely after three days of apprehending five others for the same crime.
Commander of the Force, Maj. Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar who has worked tirelessly to ensure that the general area under his Command is rid of criminal activities said troops will continue to bombard criminal hideouts to ensure a crime free environment.
He said his mandate is to restore normalcy in Plateau, Southern Kaduna and some parts of Bauchi State.
Reflecting this commitment in a statement signed by the Force Spokesman, Major Samson Zhakom, Gen. Abubakar who also doubles as the General Officer Commanding (GOC), said the two recent gunrunners apprehended were caught with
two AK-47 Rifles, One Automatic Pistol, and
Three AK-47 magazines.
According to the statement: “Barely 72 hours after the arrest of 5 notorious gunrunners leading to the recovery of automatic weapons and about 6,000 rounds of assorted rounds of ammunition at Bayameni along Bauchi Road in Jos North LGA of Plateau State on 17 September 2024, Operation SAFE HAVEN conducted follow up operations in Bokkos Town, Bokkos LGA of Plateau State on 18 September 2024.
“During the intelligence-based sting operations, security agencies busted another criminal syndicate while finalizing transactions for sales of arms and ammunition amounting to Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00) at Banana Island Hotel in Bokkos”.
Zhakom continued: “Consequently, 2 notorious gunrunners identified as Matawal Bitrus and Thomas Benedict were apprehended and the following automatic weapons recovered – Two AK-47 Rifles, One Automatic Pistol and Three AK-47 magazines.
“The suspects have been taken into custody for interrogation with a view to extracting information in order to arrest other members of the gunrunning syndicate on the run.
“The latest arrest of gunrunners and recovery of arms and ammunition from both Jos North and Bokkos LGAs confirms the assertion that criminality is not defined by any ethno-religious boundary.
“Criminality is a common enemy that we must jointly tackle to afford law-abiding citizens the freedom to carry out their socio-economic endeavors without fear.
“While it has been proven that the proliferation of firearms is a major driver of security threats, Operation SAFE HAVEN is ever ready in conjunction with other security agencies to clamp down on individuals carrying out this illegal act.
“The good people of Plateau, Bauchi and Southern Kaduna are pleased to continue furnishing security agencies with credible information towards arresting criminal elements in order to ensure a crime-free environment”, the statement reads.
