By Zagazola Makama
Intelligence agencies from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are investigating notorious bandit kingpins from Northwestern Nigeria over the procurement of arms and ammunition.
The probe has also been extended to certain Nigerian politicians allegedly involved in peace deals that funneled significant funds to the kingpins, which are now being used to buy weapons across the border.
According to credible sources, this development is part of a broader AES crackdown on terror financing and arms trafficking along its borders with West, Central, and Northern Africa.
The investigation was reportedly triggered by leads connecting arms supplies to terrorists and non-state actors across the Sahel and West Africa.
The kingpins, who are linked to attacks on Nigerian security forces and the kidnapping of schoolchildren and expatriates, are alleged to be procuring high-caliber weapons through proxies along the Nigeria-Niger border, paying suppliers in hard currency.
These suppliers, who operate a munitions hub for criminals in the Sahel, are already on the radar of combined AES agencies. Several have been arrested recently and are now under interrogation.
High-level intelligence indicates the kingpins have received large sums of state money through peace agreements in Nigeria. Furthermore, AES agencies are gathering intelligence on Nigerian officials linked to these deals.
The identities of these officials remain confidential. The primary objective of the underground investigation is to secure evidence on whether state officials involved in peace negotiations are, in fact, paying the kingpins to cease attacks, only for those funds to be diverted to arms procurement.
“The AES agencies have arrested gunrunners crossing into Nigeria who have links to these kingpins. The scale of their arms transactions is alarming,” a source stated. “They are also believed to have received funds from officials under the guise of peace deals in one or two states.”
This breakthrough follows the interception of classified communications from terrorists linked to multiple kidnappings in Northern Nigeria. These non-state actors are connected to extensive cross-border arms procurement, funded by resources obtained through peace settlements allegedly facilitated by politicians.
