A Bauchi State-based man, Taimako Mato, arrested alongside four others has disclosed the reason behind his decision to join a gun-running syndicate to supply arms and ammunition to terrorists.
Mato disclosed this while being paraded at the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the resident of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, he possessed his first ammunition after some Boko Haram members attacked his community in 2015 but were repelled by security operatives and youths in the area.
He added that the Boko Haram terrorists fled and left their vehicles containing the ammunition which he carted away at the time, selling them to other members for onward distribution to criminal elements.
“In more recent events, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have made outstanding breakthroughs in the fight against several types of violent crimes across the country, one of which is the dismantling and arresting of a gun running syndicate operating in the Bauchi-Plateau region.
“The suspects, identified as Taimako Mato, John Danladi, Mohammed Munkail, Manasseh William, and Muhammadu Haddi, were arrested with 1 PKT machine gun, 40 rounds of 37.2mm and 95 rounds of 62mm cartridge ammunition.
“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 disclosed.
