- DSS arrests notorious arms courier, recovers 3 AK-47 rifles, 4 RPG tubes, others in Kano
- Mbah thanks President Tinubu for supporting States to fight insecurity
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State on Friday visited the Enugu State headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) where he commended the nation’s secret Police, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police for their commitment to securing Nigeria and the Southeast geopolitical zone in particular.
Governor Mbah, who inspected a cache of arms and ammunition recovered on Tuesday from commanders of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the State, said that but for the diligence and intelligence of the DSS and sister security agencies, the recovered weapons would have been used by ESN terrorists to wreck havoc across the South and paint a false picture that insecurity has taken over Nigeria.
During raids on ESN armoury on Tuesday and Wednesday, DSS operatives, backed by troops of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, recovered a large cache of high-calibre arms and ammunition.
Recovered weapons inspected by Governor Mbah include a rocket launcher, two RPG (rocket propelled grenades) warheads, three RPG chargers, 11 AK-47 rifles, and over 610 rounds of NATO 7.62×39 mm ammunition, and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) uniforms and lanyards.
Accompanied by the 82 Division’s Garrison Commander, Brigadier General Abubakar Suru, State Commissioner of Police, Bitrus Giwa, and other government officials, Mbah praised the hard work and collaboration among security agencies in the country.
He therefore called on Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations, to support efforts by President Bola Tinubu to tackle insecurity.
He thanked President Tinubu for supporting states to tackle insecurity, saying the President’s effort is the reason for the successes being recorded by security agencies across the states.
Security sources disclosed that the raid on the ESN armoury came on the heels of intelligence gathered from some arrested ESN members that the terrorist organization was planning to unleash terror on Enugu and other Southeast States and create panic and the false impression that bandits have invaded the region.
The Enugu recovery came two days before the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced five members of a band of notorious bandits each to 25 years in prison for assisting the gunmen who, on November 21, 2025, attacked and abducted students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State. The five convicts were arrested by DSS operatives in separate operations.
Meanwhile, DSS operatives on Thursday arrested a suspected arms courier, at Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State, intercepting a consignment of weapons believed to be destined for a bandit kingpin operating in Zamfara State.
Security sources say the arrest of the courier known as Abubakar Muhammad, followed actionable intelligence which indicated that he was in transit to deliver three AK-47 rifles, four RPG tubes, and two empty magazines to one Saidu Marafa, a notorious bandit kingpin actively operating in Zamfara State.
“The operation was the direct result of intelligence generated by the Service, which tracked the courier’s movement and mobilised operatives to intercept him before the weapons could leave Kano State”.
“This latest arrest is one in a series of successful operations by the Service, further demonstrating its ability to infiltrate criminal networks, cut off arms supply routes, and weaken the structures that sustain banditry and armed violence across the country,” noted the source., adding, “forensic evaluation is ongoing for possible prosecution.’
