The troops of Operation Safe Haven in Plateau State again on Saturday arrested two more gunrunners while negotiating to sell ammunition amounting to N5m in the Bokkos Local Government area of the state. This came barely 72 hours after the troops arrested five notorious gunrunners at Bayameni community, along Bauchi Road in Jos North LGA of the state leading to the recovery of automatic weapons and about 6,000 rounds of assorted ammunition. In a statement on Saturday, the spokesman for Operation Safe Haven, Major Samson Zhakom, said the latest gunrunners were arrested at a hotel in Bokkos LG of the state and were taken into custody.
The statement read, “Barely 72 hours after the arrest of 5 notorious gunrunners leading to the recovery of automatic weapons and about 6,000 rounds of assorted ammunition at Bayameni along Bauchi Road in Jos North LGA of Plateau State on 17 September 2024, Operation Safe Haven conducted follow on operations in Bokkos Town, Bokkos LGA of Plateau State on 18 September 2024. “During the intelligence-based sting operations, security agencies busted another criminal syndicate while finalizing transactions for sales of arms and ammunition amounting to Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00) at Banana Island Hotel in Bokkos.
Consequently, 2 notorious gunrunners identified as Matawal Bitrus and Thomas Benedict were apprehended and the following automatic weapons were recovered: Two AK-47 Rifles; One Automatic Pistol; Two AK-47 magazines and One Baretta Pist.