Female Arms Runner Arrested, Foils Supply To Bandits
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have intercepted a suspected ammunition courier and disrupted a dangerous supply chain allegedly fueling banditry in northern Nigeria.
The suspect, 25-year-old Nafisa Usman, was arrested at a busy motor park in Kano while allegedly transporting 200 rounds of newly acquired ammunition concealed for delivery.
Security sources said the consignment originated from Lafia in Nasarawa State and was en route to Kankara in Katsina State, a hotspot for armed bandit activity.
According to intelligence sources, Usman was tracked and apprehended following actionable surveillance on her movements.
“She was intercepted before completing the delivery meant for bandits operating in the Kankara forest,” a source disclosed.
Preliminary findings indicate that Usman, a native of Zango village in Kankara Local Government Area, had been involved in the illicit arms trade for about two months.
During interrogation, she allegedly confessed that the ammunition was supplied by a figure identified as “Teso,” who reportedly works in tandem with a military operative based in Lafia.
Investigators further revealed that Usman admitted facilitating ammunition deals worth over N5 million, using Unguwa Uku motor park in Kano as a key transit hub for shipments heading into Katsina.
The supplies, according to the suspect, were destined for a notorious bandit leader known as Mallam Haruna, alongside other armed actors identified as Buba and Abu, all believed to be operating within the Kankara forest corridor.
Usman also reportedly told interrogators she was recruited into the network by a Kano-based livestock trader named Sulaiman.
The latest arrest highlights ongoing efforts by the DSS to dismantle criminal syndicates, choke off illegal arms pipelines, and curb the escalating threat of banditry across northern Nigeria.
