The Police High Command, on Tuesday, arrested and paraded a dismissed officer of the Nigerian Air Force Ahmed Mohammed age 40yrs and one Mushiri Abubakar age 28yrs who supplied military camouflage and other accoutrements to bandits terrorising Zamfara State.
According to Police, its operatives of the FID-STS arrested the dismissed officer of the Nigerian Air Force Ahmed Mohammed, attached to the Air Force Base, Kaduna, who only served in the air force for just five years before he was court-martialed by the military for a yet-to-be-revealed offence.
The police explained that the former NAF personnel introduced sales of military camouflage and other accoutrements to Mushiri Abubakar who had supplied different camps of criminal gangs.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, also disclosed that the duo had in the past supplied military camouflage to the notorious bandit, Bello Turji, and his gang members who have been terrorising the State.
Parading the suspects at the headquarters of the Special Tactical Squad-Intelligence Response Team in Abuja, the police spokesman listed items recovered from both Mohammed and Abubakar as 10 sets of military camouflage uniforms and 10 pieces of camel pack
Other items recovered include 2 military hats, 3 cardigans, 3 T-shirts, 2 belts and 3 anklets, adding that they were intercepted when they were transporting the items from Kaduna to Zamfara for bandits.
"On 20/12/2023 at about 1230hrs the operatives of the FID-STS intercepted the movement of military accoutrements from Kaduna to Zamfara state precisely Shinkafi LGA.
"In the process, a spot search was conducted and the following items were recovered; 10 sets of military camouflage uniforms, 10 pieces of camel pack, 12 military hats, 3 cardigans, 3 t-shirts, 2 belts, and 3 anklets.
"The two suspects were arrested. The Mushiri Abubakar is a childhood friend of one Airforce personnel attached to the Airforce base in Kaduna state who served for only five years before being court marshalled and introduced the idea of selling military accoutrements to Mushiri Abubakar.
"Further investigation revealed that the same Mushiri Abubakar had supplied military materials to the Notorious Bello Turji." he revealed
The Force PRO told journalists that the operatives had resolved to dismantle the criminal syndicate, particularly those supplying arms and ammunition to bandits before going after the main criminals.
According to him, the bandits were powerless if they were not holding guns and other ammunition, stressing that the network of how they get sophisticated weapons to intimidate innocent citizens would be first destroyed.