Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Operatives of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards (CPG), widely known as Askarawa, have apprehended a 30-year-old suspected ammunition courier linked to the notorious bandit kingpins Bello Turji and Baleri. The suspect, identified as AbdulRahman Isa of Mashema village in the Zurmi Local Government Area, was intercepted on Friday, April 24, 2026, by CPG operatives attached to the Gusau Sector II command. This significant breakthrough was announced in a statement issued on Saturday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar A. Gumi. The arrest occurred while the suspect was attempting to smuggle a substantial cache of ammunition concealed inside a gallon of palm oil.
The CPG commandant, retired Assistant Inspector General of Police Shehu Muhammad Dalijan, disclosed to journalists in Gusau that the suspect had been under surveillance for a considerable period due to his alleged role in the illicit transportation of arms and ammunition. According to the commandant, Isa had long been on the radar of multiple security agencies, including the military, the police, and the Department of State Services, for supplying ammunition to terrorist networks. Security sources revealed that the suspect had been operating under the guise of a commercial motorcycle rider in Nasarawa State, a cover he used to facilitate the movement of ammunition to criminal elements in Zamfara. This method of concealment shows the sophisticated tactics used by criminal logistics networks to evade checkpoints.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was transporting the ammunition from Nasarawa State to arm bandits operating in several local government areas of Zamfara State, including Shinkafi, Zurmi, Kaura Namoda and Birnin Magaji. The recovered ammunition was a substantial arsenal, comprising 270 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition for AK-47 rifles and 54 rounds of MG (machine gun) NATO ammunition. The suspect allegedly confessed to receiving the deadly consignment from an associate identified as Abubakar Danfulani, who instructed him to deliver the exhibits to a contact in Tsaika village. The operation marks a significant victory in the ongoing efforts to dismantle the supply chains fuelling the security crisis in Nigeria’s North-West.
The arrest in Askawara has shed light on the internal dynamics of the criminal network, revealing how couriers are recruited and coerced. According to CPG sources, the suspect had previously been warned by a relative, Maisallah Tsoga, who is a vigilante member in Zurmi town, to abandon his illicit activities or face severe consequences. Following the threat, he reportedly relocated to the Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, where he continued his activities while posing as an okada rider. The CPG commandant emphasized that this arrest marks a critical step in dismantling the supply chains fueling insecurity, as the CPG reaffirms its commitment to working with sister security agencies to restore peace.
The CPG has handed over the suspect to a relevant security agency for further investigation and prosecution. This successful operation comes just days after a similar collaborative effort led to the arrest of an ammunition courier transporting explosives. On April 15, CPG operatives intercepted one Abubakar Abdullahi Dangulbi, a driver allegedly transporting 98 sticks of dynamite, 25 coil detonators and 25 wire accessories, alongside N13,352,500 suspected to be intended for armed bandits in Bindin. This pattern of interdictions suggests that local security outfits are intensifying their efforts to cut off the supply chains fuelling insecurity in the North-West, where analysts say logistical disruptions are key to long-term peace.
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