Security operatives in Kogi State have intercepted a cache of arms and ammunition allegedly destined for criminal groups operating in the state, arresting three suspects in a coordinated operation that spanned state lines, according to a statement from the Kogi State Government.
The interception was carried out through a joint effort involving local security operatives under the Kogi State security architecture, the Hybrid Forces operating under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade, acting on intelligence about the movement of weapons.
According to the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, security agencies first received intelligence identifying a Golf 2 vehicle being used to transport arms to criminal elements operating in and around Kogi State. Authorities tracked the vehicle and its occupants for more than two weeks, coordinating with the Sokoto State Government, before arresting three suspects in Sokoto State.
Investigators say the arrests yielded further intelligence, and the Golf 2 vehicle was subsequently impounded in Kabba, in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area. Efforts to apprehend additional members of the alleged trafficking network are ongoing, the government said.
The state government two AK-47 rifles, several AK-47 magazines, sixty-seven rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, two pistols, twelve rounds of pistol ammunition and military uniforms suspected to have been intended for use by criminal elements were recovered.
The state government linked the arms shipment to what it described as an effort by criminal groups to rebuild their weapons stockpile after recent setbacks, including the killing of bandit leader Kachalla Battijo on June 10, 2026, following a failed attempt to kidnap students from Government Secondary School in Iluke Bunu.
It added that remaining criminal elements sheltering in forested areas of the state are facing arms shortages amid sustained security operations, and that the government had expanded intelligence-gathering and surveillance in anticipation of efforts by these groups to rearm or retaliate.
The state government described the operation as validation of security measures implemented under Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s administration. It commended local security forces, the ONSA Hybrid Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade for what it called effective coordination, while also thanking the Sokoto State Government for its cooperation.
The statement further credited National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for broader support to security institutions, which it said has contributed to security improvements in Kogi State.
“The interception of this cache of arms sends a strong message to criminal networks that Kogi State is not and will never be a safe haven for terrorism, banditry, kidnapping or any form of criminality,” the government said.
The state government said investigations into the seized arms and the wider trafficking network are continuing. Officials sought to reassure residents that there is no cause for alarm, citing intensified surveillance across the state, and called on citizens to continue providing timely information to security agencies.
