Police arrest 7 over illegal gun factory in Yobe

The Yobe State Police Command has arrested seven suspects for allegedly operating an illegal gun fabrication factory in Potiskum Local Government Area of the state. The command said the suspects were arrested during a raid conducted by operatives of the Potiskum Area Command in collaboration with the Divisional Police Headquarters. A statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dungus Abdulkarim, said the operation was carried out on June 2, following credible intelligence that some blacksmiths were involved in the illegal production of firearms. According to the statement, police operatives stormed a blacksmith workshop at Tasha Adua along Danchuwa Road in Potiskum and arrested seven suspects. The police also recovered two fabricated pistols, 24 muzzle pipes, nine gun butts, four unserviceable Dane guns, one filing machine and a sharp cutlass. The command said investigations were ongoing to uncover the suspects’ collaborators, possible buyers and the intended use of the weapons. The statement added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Usman Kanfani Jibrin, had directed investigators to intensify efforts to identify other illegal firearms fabrication centres and assess the security threat posed by such activities.