Less than two days before the commencement of the 2023 general elections, the Department of State Services (DSS) has busted criminal hideouts and recovered dangerous weapons in various locations across the country including in a property along the airport road in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano state.
The DSS Public Relations Officer, Dr Peter Afunanya confirmed this in a statement on Thursday in which he debunked allegations that the agency’s operations in Kano State were targeted at a political party.
Items recovered from the said property in Kano State include a gun, daggers, swords, and jack-knives among others.
Similarly, the DSS arrested suspected gun runners in Kaduna and Zamfara states, including one Aliyu Yahaya who runs guns for a suspected bandit, Kachalla Damina operating around Dansadau in Zamfara State. Weapons recovered include RPMG rifles and caches of ammunition.
It also arrested one Fajuwon Isaac in Delta State and recovered over four thousand five hundred rounds of pump action rifle ammunition among other weapons, while in Anambra State four suspects were arrested in possession of one AK-47, and about four thousand rounds of AK-47 ammunition.
While assuring safety for all Nigerians before, during, and after the elections, the DSS called on the electorate to maintain law and order.
“The DSS assures of its commitment to a peaceful exercise. It pledges its neutrality, professionalism, and good conduct of its personnel to the democratic process,” Afunanya said.
“It will continue to discharge its mandate of disseminating timely, actionable, and proactive intelligence necessary for tactical, operational, and strategic decisions even beyond the elections.”