*Service seizes arms stockpiles in Kaduna, Delta, Zamfara states

Kaduna,state governor, Senator Uba Sani has praised President Bola Tinubu for appointing Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi as Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS),

saying the appointment has helped reposition the DSS to tackle the country’s security challenges.

Sani spoke in the wake of over 34 successful operations by the DSS in his state, leading to the arrest of 54 suspects, including serving security operatives, and the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition.

The governor’s position came amidst the recovery by DSS operatives of scores of rifles and pump action guns and several thousand rounds of ammunition across the country.

In Delta State, DSS operatives recovered over 50 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action shotguns and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition during a covert operation in Asaba, the state capital.

The agency arrested an Itsekiri serving in the British Army (name withheld) who allegedly procured the weapons.

The seizure and arrest has drawn commendation from Ijaw communities in Egbema, Gbaramatu, Isaba, and Ogbe-Ijoh kingdoms in the Warri Federal Constituency, who appealed to the Presidency to Investigate the arms seizure. They warned that such stockpiles could lead to provocation and reignite conflict in Warri.

Security sources disclosed that the DSS command in Kaduna State arrested eight suspected bandits and 22 of their suspected informants, four gunrunners, two human traffickers, four cyber fraudsters, two vandals and 12 family members of suspected bandits.

According to the source, the command also reportedly recovered five AK-47 rifles, one GPMG, three RPGs guns and 5,000 rounds of ammunitions of various calibres, while it’s operations resulted in the rescue of 79 kidnap victims now in the custody of the state government.

Some of the arrested suspects, it was gathered, which included a security operative serving in Zamfara State,  disclosed that he often steals the ammunition meant to fight bandits in Zamfara and environs and sell same to the bandits.

As at the time of his arrest, offered the source, the serving security personnel had on him 217 rounds of assorted ammunition he planned to sell for N4 million.

One suspected gunrunners told journalists in Kaduna that he was arrested with 500 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition he planned to sell for ₦1.5 million to one Suleiman in troubled Birnin Gwari town.

Another suspected gunrunner confessed that he was on his way to Katsina State to deliver 1,087 rounds of ammunition when DSS operatives nabbed him. His associate who was arrested in Futua, Katsina State, said he was to deliver 701 rounds of ammunition to Zamfara State

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