The Kano State police has intercepted a truck carrying weapons and supplies allegedly belonging to the members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria popularly known as Shiites.
Addressing a news conference, the command’s Public Relations Officer DSP Magaji Majia says the truck is coming from Potiskum in Yobe State and is said to be going to Zaria where the Shiites are marking the Arba’een ritual of the killing of Imam Hussain.
“You can see the weapons made off of cutlasses, generators and other supplies and the truck full of clothes and flags of the movement.”
According to Majia, the weapons are illegal and capable of killing its target on the spots.
“You can remember few days ago, members of this movement attacked and killed one police officer and injuring three others during their illegal procession, since then we embarked on investigation including stop and search to see if it is true they are carrying dangerous weapons, the results of such investigation led us to this discovery.”
Meanwhile, store keeper of the group who maintained that he was not aware that weapons were among the supplies he was escorting to Zaria also disclosed that the weapons are used to construct tents in an event of stop over during the course of their seven day trek to Zaria.
“We don’t carry weapons, am not aware the weapons are here but we used them to make tent and to protect women and children against intruders especially at night since we are all trekking”.
In a related development, over 40 people are said to have been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Security Service DSS at the popular Wapa Bureau De-Change market in the state.
Although no official statement from the DSS in Kano, but association of the bureau de-change in the state through the union auditor general one Kabir Abdul confirmed the arrest.
“They came arresting people on allegations that we are selling dollars above government approved price and up till this time we don’t know where they are keeping our members.”
An attempt to speak with the DSS was not successful as the Department Public Relations Officer told Channels Television that he has no knowledge that Wapa Bureau De-Change market was raided by his operatives.
