A civil society organisation, Civil-Military Cooperation, has commended the Department of State Services for arresting several suspected gunrunners, and kidnappers and for recovering several weapons in the process.

A statement by the group’s coordinator, Adams Otakwu, obtained on Thursday, said recent operations by the DSS across the country had helped to stem the tide of criminalities and averted what would have had disastrous consequences for Nigerians.

“This week alone, the DSS officials in Gwagwalada, Abuja, arrested one person (names withheld) with 60 rounds of 6.72mm live ammunition.

He claimed to be an officer of one of the paramilitary agencies.

“We commend the DSS for using him to track and arrest another suspected gunrunner (names withheld),” the group said.

“Last Friday, along the Lafia-Doma Road in Nasarawa State, the DSS operatives arrested a suspected arms courier, with 1,009 rounds of live ammunition hidden in two bags of maize.

“In Oron, Akwa Ibom State, on June 5, DSS officers arrested four suspected members of a kidnap ring called Timico. They were said to be in Oron to kidnap. The officers recovered two AK-47 rifles, six magazines, 152 live rounds of 7.62mm bullets, and a gold colour Toyota Camry.

“It is heartwarming that, from Gusau, Zamfara State, to Kaduna; and from Zuba, Niger State, to Eket, Akwa Ibom State, DSS operations have led to the arrest of several suspected kidnappers, gunrunners and other criminal elements.

“We may be left to imagine what would have become of the lot of Nigerians had the tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition the DSS seized from these persons arrived in their intended destinations,” the statement said.

The PUNCH reports that the DSS earlier in June arrested a kidnapping kingpin at Sultan Abubakar International Airport en route to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.

A top official in the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Faruk Umar, confirmed the arrest.