Security sources told BusinessDay that Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) seized a weapons shipment from Niger Republic at Dawakawa on Nov. 10, saying the arms were intended for bandit operations.
Dawakawa is a community in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The recovered cache contained 21 AK-47 rifles, four PKT general-purpose machine guns and 825 fully loaded magazines, the sources said.
Traffickers had tried to move the cargo on camels along remote, unpoliced routes, according to the security sources. The account said they used difficult terrain to avoid checkpoints and security surveillance.
Counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama said arms cartels use unofficial crossings and rugged border areas to move weapons. The report said security agencies regard the seized arms as evidence investigators could use to identify the intended recipients.
Security analysts said intelligence operations should focus on the people financing the trade, international brokers and local kingpins. The weapons network, the report said, feeds violence in Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and Kebbi states.
