The Directorate of State Services reported on Thursday that it had found guns in a building on Airport Road in Kano’s Nasarawa Local Government Area.

The service denied claims made by a party in the state that it was intimidating its members as incorrect.

While the service claimed that the DSS’s election preparations did not identify the party in a statement by its spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, investigations by our correspondent revealed that the Kano State chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party had accused the service of intimidating its members and conducting raids on its campaign offices in the state.

Afunanya said the operation was intelligence-driven, questioning how the weapons were found on the property.

The statement partly read, “To achieve the desired environment for the elections, the Service engaged in proactive and intelligence-led operations across the States. For instance, on February 22, 2023, the Service conducted a legally backed search operation on a property along Airport Road, Nasarawa LGA, Kano State.

“During the operation, it recovered dangerous weapons including a gun, daggers, swords, and ack-knives from the said building.

Therefore, the accusation that the Service intimidated a particular political party in that State is untrue; otherwise, how come to those weapons were found there? Are those objects of violence campaign materials? Whether in Kano or elsewhere, the DSS has provided equal opportunities for all political parties to engage in their lawful activities. We can say this without any form of contradictions or equivocations.”

Afunanya also said on February 22, 2023, the Service arrested a gunrunner, Aliyu Yahaya an associate of Kachalla Damina, a suspected bandit who operates around Dansadau, Zamfara State.

According to him, items recovered from him include one GPMG Rifle; one chain of ammunition, One Hundred and Ninety (190) rounds of GMPG Ammunition, 28 rounds of AK47 Ammunition, and One grenade, adding that the suspect was going to deliver the armaments to Damina before he was arrested.

Also, he stated that Tukur Usman and Illiyasu Adamu, two arm couriers, were detained on February 20, 2023, in Kaduna’s Chikun LGA.

Twenty-six (26) rounds of live ammunition for GPMG rifles and 372 rounds of 7.62 X 39mm ammunition were also found on them, according to Afunanya, who also claimed that the two were allegedly providing weapons to criminals in Zamfara State.