NSCDC has uncovered alleged diversion and illegal sale of service rifles by personnel, recovering an AK-47 and exposing the diversion of two G3 rifles.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered alleged diversion and illegal sale of service rifles by some of its personnel, leading to the arrest of suspects and the recovery of an AK-47 rifle.
The NSCDC spokesperson, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this on Friday, while briefing journalists in Abuja.
Afolabi said the arrests and recovery were carried out by the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS), headed by Commander Dandaura Appollos.
He said an NSCDC personnel attached to the Corps’ headquarters was arrested after investigations allegedly linked him to the diversion of an AK-47 rifle assigned to him.
According to Afolabi, the officer allegedly removed the rifle from his duty post after completing his shift instead of returning it to the armoury. Investigators reportedly found that he concealed the weapon in two polythene bags, abandoned his duty post without authorisation and transported the rifle to Otukpo, Benue State.
The NSCDC spokesperson said the officer allegedly handed the rifle to a buyer in Otukpo under a prior arrangement for N700,000, after which the buyer allegedly resold it to an illicit arms dealer identified as IBB for N800,000.
Afolabi said the principal suspect allegedly attempted to conceal the disappearance of the firearm when questioned and tried to sign out another rifle.
He added that covert tracking, surveillance and tactical interrogation enabled the intelligence team to apprehend the suspects and recover the AK-47 rifle and two empty magazines.
In a separate investigation, the CG’s SIS also uncovered the alleged diversion of two G3 service rifles from an NSCDC armoury in Adamawa State between 2018 and 2024.
Afolabi said the investigation implicated a former head of armoury, identified in reports as ASCI Peter Ardo, who allegedly removed the rifles from the armoury without authorisation and sold them to another NSCDC personnel, CCA Boniface B. Lawyer, in separate transactions for N210,000 and N220,000.
The weapons were allegedly resold to a civilian.
According to the NSCDC, the former armoury head allegedly attempted to conceal the missing rifles by altering weekly armoury records. Investigators said serial numbers of the missing firearms were allegedly handwritten into stock records after physical counting, creating the impression that the weapons remained in the armoury.
Afolabi said the investigation exposed the alleged scheme and resulted in the recovery of confessional and other evidentiary statements from key actors.
He said the development demonstrated the Corps’ renewed efforts to strengthen accountability in the management of service weapons and prevent firearms from being diverted into the hands of criminals.
“Internal disciplinary procedures against errant officers have been concluded,” Afolabi said.
He added that NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, had directed the Directorate of Legal Services to commence legal proceedings against the suspects before courts of competent jurisdiction.
Afolabi also disclosed that the CG’s SIS had intercepted a suspected telecommunications vandalism syndicate.
He said one suspect was arrested while allegedly attempting to remove 12 telecommunications panels that had been vandalised from an equipment cabinet.
According to him, preliminary investigations indicated that the vandalism and theft were allegedly part of a longstanding operation carried out for financial gain.
Afolabi said the NSCDC Directorate of Legal Services was seeking a 60-day remand order, as well as search and arrest warrants, to enable investigators to track fleeing members of the syndicate in Delta and Kano states.
The NSCDC said the investigations form part of broader efforts by the Corps to strengthen internal accountability, combat criminality and prevent government assets, including service weapons and critical telecommunications infrastructure, from being diverted for illicit purposes.
Visit GMTNewsng for more news stories.
