Father, son arrested for gunrunning as military kills 79 terrorists
The Defence Headquarters on Friday announced that troops had arrested notorious gunrunner Timothy Yusuf and his son, Timothy Obadiah, during a targeted operation for alleged gunrunning.
According to the DHQ, the duo, known for their involvement in the illegal arms trade, were apprehended during a military operation aimed at disrupting the network of arms dealers supporting terrorists and other criminal groups.
A statement by the outgoing Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Buba Edward, also revealed that troops had killed terrorist commander and arms dealer Abu Mosaje.
He said, “Troops operating in the North Central region achieved a major breakthrough by neutralising Abu Mosaje, a notorious terrorist commander and arms dealer, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State. Additionally, the same troops apprehended Babangida Gora Usman, a wanted kidnap kingpin on the security watchlist, in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
“In a related operation, notorious gunrunner Timothy Yusuf and his son, Timothy Obadiah, were arrested, further crippling the supply chain of illegal arms. Their arrest is expected to weaken the flow of weapons to violent groups across the region.”
Buba also confirmed that the military had intensified its counter-terrorism operations nationwide, achieving remarkable success in neutralising 79 terrorists during the past week.
He added, “The operations targeted terrorist hideouts and collaborators and led to the rescue of 67 kidnapped hostages and the arrest of 224 suspects, including informants and key criminal figures.
“During the week under review, troops across all theatres of operations recorded significant successes. A total of 79 terrorists were neutralised, 224 suspects were arrested, and 67 kidnapped hostages were rescued. In addition, 28 perpetrators of oil theft were arrested, and troops denied oil theft operations valued at over N747 million in the South-South region.
“In the South-South region, troops destroyed 215 crude oil cooking ovens, 26 dugout pits, 29 boats, 62 storage tanks, 20 drums, and 42 illegal refining sites, among other facilities used for illicit activities.
Recovered items included 842,685 litres of stolen crude oil, 12,340 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 200 litres of DPK.”
In the South East, Buba said seven IPOB members, including a suspected kidnapper, were arrested in Enugu State.
He said, “Meanwhile, in the South East, seven members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), were apprehended. Among those arrested were a notorious kidnapper and several informants operating in Enugu North and Ehime Mbano LGAs of Enugu and Imo States, respectively.”
The military’s operations also resulted in the recovery of a significant cache of weapons and ammunition, including 104 assorted firearms, over 1,900 rounds of ammunition, and improvised explosive devices.
“The breakdown is as follows: 53 AK47 rifles, 25 fabricated rifles, one FN rifle, 11 Dane guns, 2 pump-action guns, one fabricated SMG, 4 IEDs, 7 RPG bombs, 30 magazines, 4 IEDs, and 3 locally made butts.
“Other items include: 1,186 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 417 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 49 rounds of 12.7mm ammo, 190 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm ammo, 12 live cartridges, 3 bandoliers, one Baofeng, 35 motorcycles, and 22 mobile phones,” Buba added.
