The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has intercepted a former immigration officer attempting to sell sophisticated firearms to bandits in the Abuja-Kaduna forests.
The officer, whose name was not disclosed, was arrested following an intelligence-led operation.
The weapons, including a Scorpion CZ EVO3 fully automatic firearm with an inbuilt silencer, were seized before reaching criminal elements who could have posed a severe threat.
In an interview with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Officer in Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit Mustafa Mohammed, said the operation prevented the weapons from reaching bandits who operate in the region.
The firearms, including 52 rounds of ammunition, could have made these criminal groups more dangerous.
The Scorpion CZ EVO3, a 2022 model, is a highly sophisticated weapon capable of firing in single, automatic, or burst mode.
FCT Commissioner of Police Tunji Disu also revealed that between January 1 and February 28, 2025, the police arrested 300 suspects in various operations.
The raids, conducted with tactical precision, resulted in the recovery of arms, ammunition, and illicit substances.
Among those arrested were 59 armed robbers, 10 kidnappers, and 16 cultists. Seven kidnappers and nine armed robbers were neutralized during these operations.
Disu highlighted targeted raids in high-risk areas such as Dei-Dei, Karu, Gwarinpa, and Maitama, as well as abandoned buildings used as criminal hideouts.
“These locations will continue to be monitored and raided to ensure the safety of residents,” he said.
