… Over N200m Recovered From Suspects’ Accounts
The Nigerian Army has confirmed the arrest of 18 soldiers, 15 police officers, and a traditional ruler, among others, over an expansive arms trafficking syndicate supplying weapons to terrorists and other criminal networks across the country.
The shocking revelations came during a press briefing held on Wednesday by Major Ademola Owolana, spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), who disclosed that the arrests were made during Operation Snowball, a covert exercise launched in August 2024 to dismantle internal arms rackets.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that this latest development is one of the most damning internal security breaches in recent years.
“The operation was carried out across 11 states — Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba, and the FCT. So far, 18 soldiers, 15 mobile police officers, 8 civilians, and a traditional ruler have been arrested for their roles in arms trafficking,” Owolana revealed.
Investigators said over N200 million has been traced and recovered from various bank accounts linked to the suspects, including active military and police personnel.
Among the most prominent suspects is Ameh Raphael, an armourer with the 7th Division Garrison, who reportedly had N45 million in his account and has been involved in illegal arms deals since 2018.
Also arrested was Seidi Adamu of the 3rd Division Ordnance Services, who allegedly amassed N34 million since joining the illicit trade in 2022.
One of the largest sums was traced to Inspector Enoch Ngwa, a serving police officer, whose account saw transactions totalling N135 million, believed to be proceeds from arms sales to insurgents and bandits.
“This racket is driven by greed,” Owolana said. “Some soldiers have deliberately diverted arms from military stockpiles and sold them to terrorists. Their actions have directly undermined troop morale and battlefield success.”
The operation also uncovered damning allegations against some NGOs, which Owolana accused of ferrying supplies to terrorist enclaves under the guise of humanitarian aid.
“There’s credible intelligence showing that certain non-governmental organisations are smuggling food and additives to insurgents under humanitarian covers,” he added.
In a notable case, a soldier of the 144 Battalion was intercepted on February 24, 2025, at Tashin-Karo, Kano, with 30 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition during a routine search by military police.
All personnel found culpable, Owolana confirmed, have been dismissed from service and handed over to the police for prosecution.
“This is a clear message. No one is above the law. These arrests will serve as a deterrent to others tempted by the lure of blood money,” Owolana warned.
The Nigerian military has vowed to pursue the investigation to its logical conclusion, as pressure mounts on defence and security authorities to clean up internal ranks amidst worsening insecurity.
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