Nigerian Soldier arrested for selling and hiring guns to Kidnappers
Operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) have arrested a soldier attached to the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Tungan-Maje, Abuja, for allegedly hiring out and selling guns to kidnappers.
The soldier, identified simply as Nafiu, was arrested last week around Dankogi Park in Zuba in collaboration with members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in the area.
DailyTrust reports that the DSS from the Gwagwalada office sought the assistance of the local security group in Zuba to arrest the suspect based on previous arms deal allegations against him.
According to a source, “It was learned that the suspect, in the first deal, had allegedly hired out a gun for a kidnap operation for N300,000. Then in the second instance, they contacted him for another deal and demanded N200,000 which the kidnappers allegedly paid, but he failed to produce the gun.”
The source said when the kidnappers, who had been in DSS custody, made the allegation against the soldier, a sting operation was planned against him.
“So they contacted him for another deal to supply them with AK-47s to buy at the cost of N3 million. We went to the agreed site on the delivery day here in Zuba and took the position. He arrived at the scene in his car to present the arm, and that was the time we came out and caught him with the gun well wrapped.” he added.
An AK-47 rifle as well as a fully loaded magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition were found inside one of the safe compartments of his car.