DSS intercepts arms shipment, nabs courier in Kano

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a suspected arms courier, Muhammad Abubakar, in Kano State while allegedly transporting a cache of weapons to Funtua in Katsina State.

Abubakar, 30, was apprehended in Gezawa Local Government Area following intelligence-led operations by the DSS. Security officials disclosed that he was intercepted with four Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) tubes, three AK-47 rifles and two empty magazines.

Speaking during a parade of the suspect at the DSS Kano State Command, officials said preliminary investigations indicated that the weapons were being transported from the Maigatari border area in Jigawa State to an undisclosed recipient in Funtua, a region grappling with security challenges.

The agency further revealed that the suspect allegedly confessed to collecting the weapons from a man identified as Bello and was promised N450,000 for successfully delivering the consignment.

Abubakar, who identified himself as a transporter operating between Kano, Abuja and Mokwa in Niger State, told journalists that it was his first involvement in arms trafficking. He claimed Bello had repeatedly persuaded him before he eventually agreed to undertake the assignment.

The suspect said he travelled to pick up the weapons and was arrested while en route to Funtua. He admitted knowing the arms could be used for criminal activities but said the promised payment influenced his decision.

The DSS said Abubakar would face prosecution, adding that efforts are underway, in collaboration with other security agencies, to apprehend Bello and dismantle the wider network behind the operation.