Soldier attached to Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment arrested for supplying kidnappers with arms

DEPARTMENT of State Services (DSS) operatives have arrested a soldier attached to the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Tungan Maje in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for supplying weapons to kidnappers.

Apparently, the unnamed soldier was both hiring out and selling military guns to kidnappers operating in the FCT area. He was arrested last week near Dankogi Park in Zuba following a collaborative operation involving members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria that were operating in the area.

Local reports say the soldier hired a gun to the kidnappers for N300,000 ($700) in one of the operations and in another instance, he received N200,000 for one gun. Unfortunately for the soldier, however, the kidnappers were arrested and they mentioned him as their gun supplier to the police.

In a sting operation, they then contacted him for another deal to supply them with AK 47 rifles for a total of N3m and he fell for it.  They went to the agreed site in Zuba and took position but when the soldier arrived at the rendezvous in his car to present the arms, the security men swooped on him.

Following his arrest, an AK 47 rifle as well as a fully loaded magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition were found in his car. It is believed that there are about 6m illegal firearms in Nigeria, which is fuelling a crime epidemic centred around kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and terrorism.