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The police in Akwa Ibom State have dismantled a suspected illegal firearms fabrication syndicate and recovered a locally fabricated double-barrelled cartridge gun and equipment allegedly used in manufacturing weapons.
The police said the operation also exposed an “illicit arms production network operating within the state,” while efforts were underway to arrest another suspect believed to have participated in the fabrication process.
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The police spokeswoman in the state, Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.
According to the statement, the breakthrough followed what the police described as a coordinated intelligence-led operation aimed at combating violent crime and curbing the proliferation of illegal firearms across Akwa Ibom.
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The police said operatives arrested Miracle Udo, 27, from Cross River State, who resides in Ikot Obio Offong in the Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area, on Friday.
A locally fabricated double-barrelled cartridge gun was recovered from him at the point of arrest, the statement said.
How arrests led to a suspected gun maker
According to the police, Mr Udo admitted during interrogation that he possessed the firearm and identified one Edet Okon as the person who supplied it to him.
The statement said investigators subsequently arrested Mr Okon as the investigation widened.
Police said further intelligence gathering led operatives to another suspect, Kufre Stephen, 35, from Nsit Atai Local Government Area, whom they identified as the suspected fabricator of the firearm.
A search conducted during the operation, according to the statement, led to the recovery of “several tools and materials suspected to be used in the illegal fabrication of firearms,” which investigators said confirmed the existence of an unlawful gun manufacturing operation.
“Investigations have further revealed the involvement of another suspect, believed to be a welder who regularly assisted in the fabrication process. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect and dismantle every link in the criminal network,” the statement said.
Background
The latest discovery comes amid intensified efforts by the police to stem the circulation of illegal firearms and tackle violent crimes across the state.
In recent months, the command has recorded several recoveries of locally made weapons.
In June, police arrested an armed robbery suspect in Uyo and recovered a locally fabricated firearm following a distress call from residents, while other members of the gang escaped.
Earlier that month, operatives also recovered a locally made pistol and substances suspected to be cannabis during an intelligence-led operation in Ibeno Local Government Area.
The command also arrested a man found with a toy AK-47 rifle after he allegedly claimed to work for the Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, as a vigilante operative.
The operations are part of a broader crackdown announced by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, in May. At the time, Mr Azare said the command arrested 178 suspects linked to armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism, drug trafficking and other crimes within five months.
He also announced the recovery of 69 firearms, including locally made pistols, Dane guns and an AK-47 rifle, as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition through intelligence-led operations across the state.
The latest operation, which uncovered the alleged firearms fabrication workshop, marks a shift from merely recovering illegal weapons to dismantling the networks suspected of manufacturing and supplying them, as investigations continue to identify other members of the syndicate.
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