Nigeria detains troops, police for alleged sale of weapons to armed groups
May 31, 2025
Abuja [Nigeria], May 31: The Nigerian military has detained more than 30 soldiers and police officers for allegedly stealing weapons from its stockpiles and selling them to armed groups in the country, according to local media reports.
The country is battling a more than 15-year insurgency in the northeast, as well as a farmer-herder conflict in the north-central region, violent secessionist agitation in the southeast and rampant kidnap-for-ransom in the northwest.
A spokesman, Ademola Owolana, said the army launched an operation in August 2024 as a "response to incessant cases of arms and ammunition theft".
"So far, a total of 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen and eight civilians, including a traditional ruler, have been arrested," Owolana said.
Source: Emirates News Agency
