Court gavel
A Chief Magistrate Court Grade I sitting in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, has sentenced three individuals arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) to 10 years imprisonment each for arms trafficking.
The convicts — Sakina Garba, Ali Gono, and Ibrahim Abdulrashid — were found guilty and handed the sentence without the option of a fine.
According to security sources, the suspects were apprehended between January and February 2026 following intelligence reports about plans to transport illegal arms and ammunition.
Investigations revealed that the trio allegedly intended to move the weapons from Bantaje village in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State to a suspected bandit kingpin who is still on the run.
Security operatives reportedly intercepted the suspects along the Wukari–Jalingo road, where the weapons were concealed inside two sacks filled with food items.
A source involved in the operation explained the discovery made during the arrest.
“The suspects were caught with two sacks of food items in which they hid one AK-47 rifle, 984 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition and 105 rounds of 7.82mm ammunition. Also found in their sacks were 14 AK-47 rifle magazines, three POS machines and N200,200 cash,” the source said.
*Another Suspect Pleads Guilty in Abuja*
In a related development, a female suspect, Halima Haliru Umar, who was also arrested by DSS operatives, has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of ammunition before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suspect admitted to being in possession of 302 rounds of live ammunition recovered by security operatives.
During the court proceedings, DSS operatives presented the recovered ammunition as evidence before the court.
The trial judge, Justice Haywa Joseph Yilwatda, subsequently adjourned the matter until May 8, 2025, for sentencing.
Earlier, a DSS witness had told the court that the suspect was arrested in Plateau State while transporting the ammunition intended for delivery to an individual identified simply as Sani.
The witness also presented the recovered ammunition, investigation report, the defendant’s statements and the money recovered from her as part of the evidence.
Security officials say the arrests highlight the continued efforts by the secret police to dismantle networks supplying weapons to criminal groups.
> “The operations underscore the ongoing efforts by the DSS to disrupt arms supply chains linked to banditry and terrorism in Nigeria,” the source stated.
