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The Yobe State Police Command has uncovered an illegal firearms fabrication workshop and arrested seven suspected gunmakers in Potiskum Local Government Area, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspects were arrested during a raid on a blacksmith workshop at Tasha Adua along Danchuwa Road in Potiskum on Monday, according to a statement by police spokesman SP Dungus Abdulkarim.
“The Yobe State Police Command has recorded another significant breakthrough in its sustained efforts to combat crime and criminality across the state,” the statement read.
Operatives of the Potiskum Area Command, working with officers from the Divisional Police Headquarters, carried out the operation following intelligence on alleged illegal firearm manufacturing in the area, Abdulkarim said.
Recovered items from the workshop included two fabricated pistols, 24 muzzle pipes, nine gun butts, four unserviceable Dane guns, a filing machine and a cutlass.
“The operation was carried out following credible intelligence on the activities of some blacksmiths engaged in the illegal fabrication of firearms,” the spokesman said.
He added that the suspects were in custody and undergoing investigation to identify possible collaborators, buyers and the intended use of the weapons.
Yobe State Commissioner of Police Usman Kanfani Jibrin has ordered an expanded investigation to identify other illegal firearms fabrication centres and assess the security threat posed by such activities, Abdulkarim said.
The commissioner also urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to security agencies.
