Authorities in Kaduna State have made significant headway in the fight against terrorism and illegal arms trafficking, following a series of joint operations that resulted in key arrests.
Among those apprehended were a soldier suspected of aiding terrorists and two notorious arms traffickers.
Sources revealed that Private Dalha Tijani Ibrahim, a soldier attached to the 11 Field Engineer Regiment (FER) on Operation Whirlwind, was arrested by police operatives on September 11, 2024, in the Kwangila area of Sabon Gari Local Government Area, Kaduna State. According to intelligence reports shared with media outlet Zagazola Makama, the arrest occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m.
“He was caught delivering military kits to a suspected terrorist group. He had earlier deserted his duty post at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fatika, raising concerns about suspicious internal complicity with the terrorists,” a source stated.
Following Private Dalha’s arrest, further operations were carried out the next day. At around 3:56 a.m. on September 12, operatives from the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) in Abuja, in conjunction with the Operation Yaki command in Kaduna, intercepted a tinted Peugeot 406 on the Kaduna-Saminaka-Gumau road. Inside the vehicle were Zahardeen Abdulsalam, 33, from Jos, Plateau State, and Abdullahi Tahir, 35, from Kidandan Village in Giwa LGA, Kaduna State.
The police discovered a large cache of ammunition in the vehicle, including 3,700 rounds of 7.62x39mm and 170 rounds of 7.62x51mm (NATO) ammunition. These weapons were allegedly intended for delivery to Yellow Jambros, a notorious armed bandit operating from the Galadimawa Forests in Kaduna State.
Authorities have hailed these arrests as a major victory in disrupting the supply of illegal arms to terrorist and bandit groups in the region. Security forces have stressed the need for continued collaboration between various agencies to effectively combat these threats.
