The Police have announced the arrest of a former officer of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) who has been providing military camouflage and other equipment to bandits in Zamfara State.
The arrested individual, Ahmed Mohammed, was previously stationed at the Air Force Base in Kaduna and had only served in the NAF for five years before being court-martialed for an undisclosed offense.
According to the Police spokesperson, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, the dismissed NAF personnel introduced the sale of military camouflage and other equipment to Mushiri Abubakar, who then supplied these items to various criminal groups.
Adejobi stated that the pair had previously provided military camouflage to the notorious bandit, Bello Turji, and his gang, who have been causing terror in the state.
The suspects, Mohammed and Abubakar, were paraded at the headquarters of the Special Tactical Squad-Intelligence Response Team in Abuja on Tuesday.
Adejobi listed the recovered items, which included 10 sets of military camouflage uniforms and 10 camel packs. Additionally, 2 military hats, 3 cardigans, 3 T-shirts, 2 belts, and 3 anklets were found. The suspects were apprehended while transporting these items from Kaduna to Zamfara for the bandits.
The senior police officer said, “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 Air Force personnel attached to the Air Force 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 same Mushiri Abubakar had supplied military materials to the Notorious Bello Turji.
The police spokesperson explained to journalists that the operatives had decided to take down the criminal syndicate. Their first target would be the individuals who were supplying weapons to the bandits, before going after the main criminals.
