The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a suspected member of a kidnapping gang, Sanda Aliyu, over an alleged attempt to purchase an AK-47 rifle for ₦1.6m in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.

Aliyu was arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Section on August 3, 2026, following intelligence that he was negotiating with a suspect identified as Aliyu Mohammed, who is currently at large, to procure the firearm.

The police said detectives acted on the intelligence and apprehended Aliyu before the weapon could be delivered.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the suspect admitted during interrogation that he was involved in the attempted arms transaction.

The police said Aliyu disclosed that ₦1.6m had already been paid towards the purchase of the rifle. He reportedly told investigators that he intended to acquire the weapon to rise to the position of a “Boss” within his current kidnapping gang before eventually breaking away to establish and lead his own criminal group.

The command said further investigation was underway to identify other people connected to the attempted purchase and establish the full extent of the suspected criminal network.

Police said the investigation would also examine other criminal activities allegedly linked to the gang.