The seizure of 21 AK-47 rifles and four PKT machine guns in Sokoto has put renewed focus on suspected arms-smuggling routes across Nigeria’s northwestern border.
DSS operatives intercepted the weapons, along with 825 magazines, in Dawakawa, Goronyo Local Government Area.
The operation followed surveillance of suspected militant cells believed to be moving weapons into the country from Niger Republic.
A security source said armed groups had changed how they transport weapons after a series of interceptions, allegedly using women and camels to move arms through the region. The source also said the DSS had tracked a field commander suspected of planning attacks ahead of and during the 2027 general elections. The report did not identify the commander or provide further details about the alleged plot.
The interception comes amid a wider series of arrests described in the report. Earlier in the week, DSS operatives reportedly arrested Hafsat Umar in Talata Mafara, Zamfara State, with 12 grenades and two ammunition belts.
She was alleged to have sourced ammunition in Niger State for delivery to bandit leader Saidu Marafa.
The article also recounts arrests across several states, including the recovery of ammunition, explosives and rifles from suspects accused of supplying armed groups.
Those cases span Zamfara, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Taraba, Kaduna and Plateau states.
In a related development, the report says three women—Halima Abdullahi, Safiya Salihu and Halima Umar—were convicted in terrorism-related cases and sentenced to 20 years in prison each.
The DSS has not been quoted directly in the article about the latest Sokoto seizure.