Police Arrest “Boko Haram’s Weapon Instructor”, Recover Machine Gun, Other Ammunition [PHOTOS]

The Nigeria Police Force announced the arrest of Taimako Mato, a suspected weapons handler and instructor for Boko Haram, along with four other individuals – John Danladi, Mohammed Munkail, Manasseh William, and Muhammadu Haddi – for alleged involvement in gunrunning.

According to Muyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson, the suspects are believed to be part of a gunrunning syndicate operating in Bauchi and Plateau states.

“The suspects, identified as Taimako Mato ‘m’, John Danladi ‘m’, Mohammed Munkail ‘m’, Manasseh William ‘m’ and Muhammadu Haddi ‘m’, were arrested with 1 PKT machine gun, 40 rounds of 37.2mm and 95 rounds of 62mm cartridge ammunition,” the statement reads.

“The leader of the syndicate, Taimako Mato, was a weapon handling instructor at a Boko Haram camp who procures these prohibited weapons and passes them on to the other members of the syndicate to sell to various buyers.”

Adejobi said police have arrested 295 suspected armed robbers, 186 kidnappers, 271 murder suspects, and 71 suspects for unlawful possession of firearms in the last one month.

“Also arrested 199 suspects for sexual-related offences, 143 suspects for cultism, and 1,575 suspects arrested for other various crimes,” the force spokesperson said.

“The force also recovered 185 firearms and a total number of 4,087 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, 111 vehicles were recovered, and 129 kidnapped victims were rescued.”

The force spokesperson said the police would not relent in ensuring that crimes are reduced to the barest minimum in the country.