Security operatives in Katsina State have reportedly arrested a newly recruited Forest Guard trainee, Zahiruddin Abdullahi Karaduwa, alongside a woman identified as Sahiba over allegations that they participated in supplying ammunition to suspected bandits operating around Matazu Local Government Area.
Reports of the arrests emerged between September 28 and 29, 2026, after videos purportedly showing the suspects being questioned circulated publicly. Zahiruddin was reportedly undergoing training as a newly recruited Forest Guard when he was taken into custody over the allegations.
Zahiruddin identified himself during the recorded questioning as the son of Abdullahi, the Mai Garin Karaduwa, a traditional ruler in the area.
His reported family connection has attracted additional public attention because the allegations concern suspected assistance to armed groups operating in communities where insecurity remains a major concern.
However, there is no evidence presently establishing that Zahiruddin’s father participated in or had knowledge of the alleged activities attributed to his son.
The traditional ruler should therefore not be associated with the alleged ammunition supply merely because of the family relationship.
During the questioning shown in the circulating video, Zahiruddin was asked whether he knew Sahiba and whether ammunition had passed through him to her.
He reportedly acknowledged knowing the woman and, when confronted with the allegation that they were involved in supplying ammunition to armed groups operating in forests, answered affirmatively.
Zahiruddin was also asked whether he had been forced or subjected to pressure before making the statements.
According to translations of the Hausa-language questioning, he denied being coerced.
He reportedly told his interrogators that he had supplied ammunition to Sahiba on six occasions.
When questioned about where the ammunition originated, Zahiruddin allegedly said he collected it from Kano State from a person he identified only as Muhammad.
He reportedly described his role as collecting ammunition he had been instructed to pick up and delivering it to another person.
Zahiruddin further claimed that he sometimes received ₦20,000 and at other times ₦30,000 in connection with the alleged transactions.
Another individual mentioned during the questioning was identified by the nickname “Mai Nono.”
The precise role of that person remains unclear, and there has been no independently verified information establishing his identity or involvement.
Sahiba was also reportedly questioned separately.
According to accounts of the second video, she allegedly acknowledged receiving ammunition from Zahiruddin and was reported to have said the ammunition was subsequently transported towards a suspected bandit camp near Maharba village.
Those statements remain part of an investigation.
A recorded statement during security questioning does not itself amount to a criminal conviction, and the circumstances surrounding the videos, including which security agency conducted the interrogation, have not been fully established publicly.
Neither Zahiruddin nor Sahiba has been reported as convicted by a court over the allegations.
The case is particularly significant because Zahiruddin was reportedly among personnel recently recruited for the Forest Guard initiative, which was established to strengthen security around forests and rural communities vulnerable to banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activity.
Forest Guards are intended to complement conventional security agencies by providing personnel familiar with local terrain and communities.
That makes allegations that a trainee could have been involved in supplying ammunition to the same category of armed groups the initiative is designed to confront a potentially serious security concern.
However, the allegation against one recruit should not be treated as evidence of wider involvement by Forest Guard personnel.
Investigators will need to establish whether the claims are accurate, how any ammunition was obtained, its quantity and type, who financed the alleged transactions and who ultimately received the supplies.
Reports currently available have not provided a verified count of the rounds of ammunition allegedly transported.
The reference to six occasions concerns the number of alleged deliveries attributed to Zahiruddin during questioning rather than a confirmed quantity of ammunition.
The case could also draw attention to how ammunition reaches armed groups operating in north-western Nigeria.
Bandit groups require continuing access to weapons, ammunition, food, fuel, information and other supplies to maintain operations across remote areas.
Security operations therefore involve not only confronting armed fighters but also identifying suspected logistical networks that enable them to operate.
Katsina is among north-western states that have experienced persistent attacks, kidnappings and killings associated with armed groups.
Rural communities have been particularly affected, with some residents facing threats while travelling, farming or carrying out commercial activities.
Forests and difficult terrain across the region have also provided armed groups with areas from which they can move between communities and evade security forces.
The Forest Guard programme was introduced partly in response to that challenge.
The Federal Government has sought to recruit and train locally based personnel who can assist existing security agencies in monitoring forests, detecting suspicious activities and providing intelligence.
The allegations involving Zahiruddin therefore underline the importance of recruitment screening and continued monitoring of personnel entrusted with security responsibilities.
If investigators establish that ammunition was repeatedly moved from Kano through intermediaries to armed groups in Katsina, attention will likely turn to the broader supply chain rather than the two suspects alone.
Questions would include the original source of the ammunition, how it was transported between states without detection and whether additional individuals participated in financing, purchasing or distributing it.
At present, however, those questions remain matters for investigation.
It would be premature to conclude that everyone named during the questioning participated in a criminal network without independent evidence and appropriate legal proceedings.
The reports have also not established whether Zahiruddin and Sahiba have been formally charged before a court, what specific offences authorities may pursue or whether legal representatives have responded on their behalf.
Those details will be important in determining the next stage of the case.
For residents of Matazu and surrounding communities, the allegations are nevertheless troubling because disrupting the supply of ammunition is an important component of efforts to weaken armed groups.
Firearms without a continuing supply of ammunition have limited operational value, making individuals who knowingly transport ammunition potentially important links in criminal logistics networks.
The reported arrests may therefore provide investigators with an opportunity to examine whether a wider supply route exists between Kano and armed groups operating around Matazu.
But establishing such a network requires evidence beyond statements circulating through interrogation videos.
Investigators would need to examine communications, financial transactions, physical ammunition or other recovered evidence, movements of the suspects and links to alleged recipients.
The public should also distinguish between arrest, allegation and conviction.
Zahiruddin and Sahiba are suspects, and reports that they made admissions during questioning do not remove their right to due process or the requirement for prosecutors to prove any charges brought against them.
Likewise, Zahiruddin’s status as the son of a traditional ruler does not transfer responsibility for his alleged conduct to his father or the Karaduwa traditional institution.
The significance of the case lies instead in the nature of the allegation: a person reportedly recruited to help secure vulnerable forests is suspected of participating in the movement of ammunition to armed groups operating in those environments.
Security authorities are expected to investigate the alleged transactions further, identify any other participants and determine whether sufficient admissible evidence exists for prosecution.
Until an official investigative statement or court proceedings provide additional evidence, the responsible description remains that Zahiruddin Abdullahi Karaduwa and Sahiba have reportedly been arrested over allegations of supplying ammunition to suspected bandits — allegations that have not yet resulted in a judicial finding of guilt.
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