The police in Zamfara have detained a 58-year-old Algerian national for alleged transborder arms trafficking.

Police commissioner Mohammed Dalijan announced this in Gusau on Tuesday.

He said that the police recovered 16 AK47 rifles during various raids within the last three weeks.

He said that the command also recovered one double barrel and one locally made pistol from a suspected arms manufacturer based in Jos, Plateau.

”The command, acting on intelligence, traced and arrested an arms manufacturer in Jos and tracked and arrested a regional arms trafficker from Algeria at the Illela border point. The suspected Algerian told the police he had been committing this crime for eight years.

”The suspect supplies arms and ammunition to bandits in all parts of the northwestern states. At the point of the arrest, four AK47s were recovered from him,” he said.

Mr Dalijan said the police also detained some suspects, including bandits and motorcycle suppliers.

“The police recovered live ammunition and N2.5 million cash, among others, from the suspects,” he said.

He said the police also detained some illegal gold miners and recovered several mining excavators.

The commissioner warned that the federal and state government bans on illegal mining were still in force.

(NAN)