Forces of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested three suspected gunrunners accused of supplying arms and ammunition to bandits in Kaduna State.

The DSS revealed the arrests were made during coordinated sting operations in Igabi and Kachia local government areas of the state.

According to a statement obtained by reporters, the DSS said one of the suspects, a 30-year-old man, was intercepted along the Nnamdi Azikiwe Bypass in Igabi while transporting two AK-47 rifles, one PKT machine gun, over 200 rounds of live ammunition, and four empty magazines concealed in sacks of maize.

Two others were apprehended at Doka village in Kachia, along the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway, while trafficking three AK-47 rifles to bandits in a Volkswagen Golf car.

Reacting to the development, Governor Uba Sani commended the DSS for the successful operation, vowing that there would be no hiding place for bandits and other criminal elements under his administration’s peace model.

The governor, through his Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shuaibu, also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu and the Director-General of the DSS for their continued support of Kaduna’s security framework.

Governor Sani further noted that the non-kinetic peace model introduced by his administration has significantly reduced crime rates across the state and warned criminal elements to desist from acts capable of undermining the state’s stability.

Meanwhile, the secret police said investigations into the matter are ongoing and assured that the suspects would face the full weight of the law.

The agency reaffirmed its commitment to curbing arms trafficking and ensuring that Kaduna State does not become a safe corridor for illegal weapons.