Police in Kwara State have seized two AK-47 rifles, three magazines and 42 rounds of live ammunition from a commercial vehicle in Ilorin, with investigators now pursuing what the Command says may be a wider gun-running network extending beyond the state.
The weapons were recovered during a stop-and-search operation along the Alapa–Okolowo axis of Ilorin, according to a statement issued on Monday, October 5, 2026, by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi.
Police said a bag containing the firearms and ammunition was found inside the vehicle and that a 30-year-old passenger identified as Umaru M. was arrested in connection with the recovery.
According to the Command, Umaru initially denied ownership of the bag but later allegedly admitted to conveying the weapons and ammunition during further investigation.
Police said the suspect also provided information that allegedly linked the firearms to a man identified as Dan Yarubawa, whom the Command described as a suspected member of a gun-running network.
The Command alleged that Umaru told investigators that Yarubawa had given him the weapons for onward delivery to another man, identified as Dahiru, who was reportedly outside Kwara State.
The police said efforts were being intensified to locate and arrest the other individuals allegedly linked to the case and determine the full extent of the suspected network.
There was no indication in the statement that Yarubawa or Dahiru had been arrested or charged as of Monday.
The Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, CP Ojo Adekimi, said the Command would sustain proactive and intelligence-led operations aimed at preventing threats to public safety and protecting lives and property.
He urged members of the public to provide credible and timely information to the police to support efforts to disrupt criminal activities.
The Command said the operation formed part of policing measures being pursued under the strategic vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, with emphasis on proactive policing, intelligence-led operations and the disruption of criminal networks.
Investigations into the recovered weapons and the identities and whereabouts of other persons allegedly connected to the case are ongoing.


