Arms Trafficking: Three Get 10-Year Jail Term in Taraba as Suspect Admits Possessing 302 Ammunition in Abuja

A Chief Magistrate Court Grade I sitting in Jalingo has sentenced three persons to 10 years imprisonment each without the option of fine after they were found guilty of illegal arms trafficking following their arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS). 

The convicts, identified as Sakina Garba, Ali Gono and Ibrahim Abdulrashid, were apprehended by operatives of the secret police between January and February 2026 after intelligence reports linked them to the movement of prohibited firearms and ammunition within Taraba State. 

Security sources said the suspects were tracked after information suggested that weapons were being moved from Bantaje community in Wukari Local Government Area for delivery to a suspected bandit leader.

Operatives later intercepted the suspects along the Wukari–Jalingo highway, where the items were allegedly hidden inside sacks filled with foodstuffs in an attempt to avoid suspicion.

Items reportedly recovered during the operation included one AK-47 rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition of different calibres, several rifle magazines, three Point-of-Sale machines and cash amounting to over ₦200,000 believed to be connected to the transaction.

After reviewing the evidence presented by the prosecution, the court convicted the three defendants and ordered that they serve 10 years imprisonment each without the option of paying a fine. 

In another development, a woman, Halima Haliru Umar, was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where she admitted guilt to a charge involving unlawful possession of 302 rounds of live ammunition.

The trial judge, Justice Haywa Joseph Yilwatda, adjourned the matter for sentencing after the defendant pleaded guilty during the hearing.

A witness from the DSS had earlier told the court that the suspect was arrested in Plateau State while allegedly attempting to transport the ammunition to a wanted bandit leader.

The prosecution presented the recovered ammunition, investigation documents, the suspect’s statement and money allegedly found on her at the time of arrest as exhibits. 

Security sources said the arrests form part of sustained efforts by the DSS to dismantle networks involved in supplying weapons to criminal groups operating in different parts of the country.

According to the source, recent operations show renewed determination by security agencies to block illegal arms routes believed to be fueling banditry, terrorism and other violent crimes across Nigeria.