The Department of State Services (DSS) has apprehended three officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who are accused of selling arms to bandits and kidnappers in Oyo State.
The arrest followed the use of advanced technology and surveillance tools to track the suspects, as revealed by DSS official Mr. Stephen Okolo during a court session on Monday, January 26, 2025, before Justice N.E. Maha of the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
The accused NSCDC officers—Olamide Okesola, Adedeji Adewale, and Asmau Omar—are facing serious charges of conspiracy, terrorism, unlawful arms dealing, and aiding terrorism, alongside Emmanuel Olatunji, an unlicensed arms dealer.
The DSS’s investigation uncovered the suspects’ roles in supplying arms to criminals responsible for the rising wave of kidnapping and banditry in the Okeogun area of Oyo State and parts of Kwara.
Testifying in court, Okolo explained that the DSS deployed cutting-edge surveillance technologies to monitor and identify key figures in the criminal network, leading to the arrest of the four suspects.
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“My lord, following the increase in the cases of kidnapping and banditry in Okeogun area of Oyo State and parts of Kwara, the DSS fashioned out how to address the issue by deploying our technical expertise, that is equipment,” he said.
Through sustained intelligence gathering, the DSS also identified two notorious terrorist kingpins, Baguda and Banshile, who were implicated in the regional insecurity.
“We identified two kingpins, Baguda and Banshile, who were among the most dangerous terrorists operating in the area,” the operative said.
The operation, which began in January 2023, led to the arrest of Lawan Buhari, an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), alleged to have been supplying ammunition to terrorists.
Buhari, who was detained during an operation with a security outfit, reportedly confessed to selling AK-47 rifles and live ammunition to the arrested officers and the arms dealer, Emmanuel Olatunji.
He claimed he was approached by the trio while serving with Operation Burst, a security outfit, before his arrest and detention at the 81 Battalion Barracks in Mokola.
Further investigations resulted in the arrest of three additional suspects: Okesola, Olatunji, and Adewale.
A bag containing 1,000 rounds of live ammunition recovered from Buhari was presented as evidence in court.
The DSS stated that the operation has significantly disrupted the illegal arms supply chain to terrorists, contributing to a decrease in the region’s kidnapping and banditry activities.
Despite the gravity of the charges, all the defendants have pleaded not guilty. The trial continues with the prosecution pressing for a conviction under the 15-count amended charge.