Nigeria’s DSS seizes 21 rifles and four machine guns
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on P.M. News
Nigeria’s DSS seized 21 AK-47 rifles, four PKT machine guns and 825 magazines in Dawakawa, Sokoto State. The operation targeted an alleged network trafficking arms from Niger, according to a security source cited by P.M. News.
The Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria’s domestic intelligence service, intercepted a shipment of weapons in Dawakawa, Sokoto State, comprising 21 AK-47 rifles, four PKT machine guns and 825 magazines. The operation was carried out following intelligence and surveillance activities targeting suspected arms-trafficking networks in north-western border communities, reports P.M. News.
A security source cited by P.M. News said the operation was part of efforts to prevent criminal groups from acquiring weapons ahead of the 2027 general elections. Under pressure from security forces, suspected traffickers are reportedly turning to other means of transport, including women and camels.
The DSS also reportedly identified a field commander suspected of coordinating attacks before and during the upcoming elections. In Zamfara State, a woman identified as Hafsat Umar was also arrested in Talata Mafara with 12 grenades and two belts of ammunition, according to a security source cited by P.M. News.
The arrest brings to 14 the number of women detained between February 2025 and November 2026 for their alleged involvement in arms and ammunition trafficking in Zamfara, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Taraba, Kaduna and Plateau states. Another arrest, that of Aisha Mohammed in Keffi, Nasarawa State, in October, had notably led to the seizure of 202 7.62mm cartridges intended for AK-47 rifles and three empty magazines, reports P.M. News.
