Military nabs 18 soldiers, 15 policemen for allegedly selling arms to terrorists
By Mohammed Salkida
The Nigerian Army’s Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) has announced the arrest of 18 serving soldiers and 15 police officers for allegedly selling arms to terrorists and other criminal elements.
The North-East Theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, announced this in Maiduguri while briefing newsmen on the activities of troops in the North-East.
Abubakar was represented by his Staff Officer, Administration, Major Ademola Owolana.
He said that they were nabbed courtesy of Operation Snowball, an exercise launched in August 2024 to target ammunition racketeering in the Theatre.
Abubakar explained that the exercise was conducted across 11 states.
The suspects were arrested in Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He also disclosed that eight civilians and one traditional ruler were also arrested.
Another nabbed suspect, he said, was Ameh Raphael, an armourer of the 7th Division Garrison.
According to him, Ameh has been engaging in the act since 2018 and has N45 million in his bank account.
Abubakar further said that troops also arrested Seidi Adamu of the 3rd Division Ordinance Services.
Adamu, he said, was discovered to have been engaging in the trade since 2022, and the sum of N34 million was found in his bank account.
The Theater Commander added that the sum of N135 million passed through the bank account of Enoch Ngwa, a police inspector, who was arrested for the same crime.
