Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Dauda Lawal, has commended the Department of State Services for its intelligence-sharing efforts that led to the interception of a large cache of arms and ammunition smuggled from Niger Republic....Read Full Article >>➤
A statement issued on Tuesday by the Coordinator, Joint Media Centre, Operation Fasan Yamma, Lt. Col. Abubakar Abdullahi, revealed that the operation, conducted on January 27, 2025, was based on actionable intelligence, PUNCH Online reports earlier.
The governor, during an inspection of the seized weapons in Gusau, the state capital, on Tuesday night, lauded the DSS and the Nigerian Armed Forces for their swift action in neutralising the threat.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support of security agencies, which he credited for the success of the operation.
These details were contained in a Tuesday statement, titled, “Gov Lawal Inspects Seized Arms Cache, Lauds DSS.”
“This operation is a testament to the efficiency of our security agencies. I want to sincerely commend the DSS for its proactive intelligence-sharing, which led to this major breakthrough.
“I also extend my appreciation to President Tinubu for his commitment to making Zamfara State and the entire country safer,” Lawal was quoted as saying.
He assured all that his administration would continue to collaborate with security agencies to combat terrorism and crime in the state.
The operation, executed jointly by the DSS and troops of Operation Fansan Yamma on Monday and Tuesday, targeted a notorious arms courier, Abubakar Umar, also known as Dangada.
Security sources revealed that Umar had been tracked from Niger Republic to Kaura Namoda-Zurmi Road, where he intended to deliver the weapons to bandit leaders operating in the Birnin Magaji Local Government Area.
DSS intelligence indicated that the arms were meant for high-profile bandit kingpins, including Kachallah Atta, Alhaji Shinge, Alhaji Nashama, and a certain Zaki.
The traffickers, realising they had been ambushed, abandoned a red Abuja-registered Volkswagen Golf station wagon (RBC 731 GU) and fled with serious bullet wounds.
Upon searching the vehicle, security operatives discovered a deadly cache, including:
• Seven AK-47 rifles
• Two PKT General-Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG)
• Two AK-103 rifles
• 169 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition
• Nine PKT rounds of ammunition with one chain
• 13 empty magazines
The governor expressed confidence in the DSS ability to uphold national security and called for continued vigilance against criminal elements.
“This is a strong message to all those fueling insecurity in our state: we will not relent until peace is fully restored.
“I assure our security agencies of my government’s full support in this fight,” he declared.
Be the first to comment