The troops of Operation Hadin Kai have arrested 18 serving soldiers, 15 Policemen for allegedly selling arms to non-state actors.
The Staff Officer Grade two OPHK, Major Ademola Owolana, stated this while briefing Defence Correspondents on the activities of the Joint Tax Force North-East operation from 2024 to 2025 in Maiduguri.
He said the successes were recorded under Operation Snowball which was launched in August 2024 to counter-ammunition racketeering in the theatre.
He said the operation was being conducted across 11 states with suspects arrested in Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory.
“So far, a total of 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen, and 8 civilians, including a traditional ruler have been arrested.
“Preliminary findings from ongoing investigation reveals community pressure on serving security personnel to supply arms and ammunition for communal conflicts as driving factors,” he said.
He emphasised that the “lucrative nature of trading in ammunition is also a driving factor for its persistence”.
Major Owolana said one Sgt. Ameh Raphael, an armourer of 7th Division Garrison, who has been in the trade since 2018, and Sgt. Seidi Adamu of 3rd Division Ordnance Services, who has also been in the trade since 2022, had over N45 million and N34 million respectively in their accounts.
He disclosed that investigation also revealed that a whooping sum of N135 million was discovered to have passed through the account of a policeman identified as Insp. Enoch Ngwa who was arrested for arms racketeering.
“To this end, a more stringent punishment is necessary to act as deterrent,” he added.
