Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have intercepted a suspected arms shipment allegedly destined for a notorious bandit kingpin operating in Zamfara State, arresting a suspected courier during a targeted intelligence-led operation in Kano State.
According to an operational report obtained on Saturday, the suspect was apprehended on Friday in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State following actionable intelligence that led security operatives to the movement of a cache of weapons and ammunition believed to be headed for criminal elements in the North-West.
The report stated that the suspect was intercepted while transporting the arms from Maigatari Local Government Area of Jigawa State to Funtua in Katsina State, from where the consignment was allegedly scheduled for onward delivery to bandit groups.
Items recovered during the operation included three AK-47 rifles, four rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launch tubes and warheads, as well as two empty magazines.
Preliminary investigations reportedly linked the recovered weapons to a suspected bandit commander active in parts of Zamfara State, one of the regions most affected by banditry, kidnappings and violent attacks in recent years.
Security sources disclosed that the suspect confessed to being contracted to transport the weapons and was promised a payment of N450,000 upon successful delivery of the consignment.
Investigators are now working to unravel the wider network behind the arms trafficking operation and identify additional collaborators believed to be involved in supplying weapons to criminal groups across the region.
The interception is being viewed as a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts by security agencies to disrupt the logistics and supply chains sustaining banditry, terrorism and other organised criminal activities in Nigeria’s North-West.
The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face further investigation and possible prosecution in accordance with the law.
Security agencies have continued to intensify intelligence-driven operations nationwide as part of broader efforts to dismantle criminal networks, stem the flow of illegal weapons and strengthen the fight against insecurity across the country.
Source: NAN
