DSS says it intercepted 21 AK-47 rifles and 825 magazines smuggled from Niger Republic into Sokoto
Security sources say the weapons were seized in Goronyo and that suspected terror networks are using women and camels to move arms.
The Department of State Services (DSS) says it has foiled a major arms-smuggling operation linked to suspected terrorist networks, intercepting weapons and ammunition allegedly brought into Nigeria from the Niger Republic, according to Leadership and ThisDay.
The operation took place in Dawakawa, in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Operatives recovered 21 AK-47 rifles, four PKT machine guns and 825 magazines. The interception comes as security agencies step up surveillance ahead of the 2027 general elections to stop the movement of illegal weapons and forestall possible attacks by armed groups, the reports say.
A security source told the newspapers that suspected criminal networks have increasingly used women and animals, particularly camels, to carry weapons and ammunition in order to avoid detection. The source also said the Service had tracked down one of the field commanders allegedly assigned to orchestrate violence before and during the elections. The DSS has not named him in the reports reviewed.
In a related development, DSS operatives earlier in the week arrested a suspected female arms courier, Hafsat Umar, in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State. She was reportedly found with 12 grenades and two ammunition belts. Intelligence cited by the Service indicated that she had travelled to Niger State to source ammunition for delivery to a notorious bandit leader, Saidu Marafa, based in Kani Kawa in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara.
Her arrest brings to 14 the number of suspected female illegal arms couriers apprehended by the DSS between February 2025 and November 2026, according to the source. The arrests cut across Zamfara, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Taraba, Kaduna and Plateau states.
Among earlier cases mentioned was that of Aisha Mohammed, arrested last month in Keffi, Nasarawa State, with 202 rounds of 7.62mm AK-47 ammunition and three empty AK-47 magazines. In September 2026, two women, Chika Aguzie and Blessing Nwamba, were reportedly arrested at separate locations in Ebonyi State over alleged involvement in supplying weapons and explosives to commanders of the outlawed Eastern Security Network.
The details come from unnamed security sources and have not been independently confirmed. The suspects named are alleged couriers who are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Border communities in the North-West have long reported the flow of small arms through unofficial routes, and the latest seizure shows how large some of those consignments can be.
SOURCE: Leadership
