Nigeria detains soldiers, police over weapons sales to armed groups
Africa's most populous country and biggest energy producer, Nigeria is battling insecurity on many fronts, including a long-running insurgency in the northeast and armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest.
Captain Reuben Kovangiya, spokesperson for the military's anti-insurgency operation, said the arrests were part of a crackdown on racketeering involving ammunition.
Local media reported that 18 soldiers, 15 policemen and eight civilians were taken into custody.
"It is part of the counter-arms and ammunition racketeering operation conducted in every theatre of operations," Kovangiya told Reuters. "If any personnel engage in any act that is inimical to the system, they are arrested and tried."
Kovangiya did not elaborate on the types and numbers of weapons sold but said the suspects would be prosecuted.
Nigeria has this year experienced a surge in attacks by militants from Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, who have overrun some military bases in the northeastern state of Borno.
In the course of most of the raids, militants have seized weapons from army bases.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
11 hours ago
- The Independent
Iraq starts excavation of large mass grave left by Islamic State
Iraqi officials have begun the excavation of what is believed to be a mass grave left behind by the Islamic State extremist group during its rampage across the country a decade ago. Local authorities are working with the judiciary, forensic investigations, Iraq's Martyrs' Foundation, and the directorate of mass graves to carry out the excavation of the site of a sink hole in al-Khafsa, south of the northern city of Mosul, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported Sunday. Ahmad Qusay al-Asady, head of the Martyrs Foundation's mass graves excavation department, told The Associated Press that his team began work at Khasfa on Aug. 9 at the request of Nineveh province's Gov. Abdulqadir al-Dakhil. The operation is initially limited to gathering visible human remains and surface evidence while preparing for a full exhumation that officials say will require international support. After an initial 15 days of work, the foundation's Mosul teams will build a database and start collecting DNA samples from families of suspected victims. Al-Asady explained that laboratory processing and a DNA database must come first to ensure proper identification. Full exhumations can only proceed once specialized assistance is secured to navigate the site's hazards, including sulfur water and unexploded ordnance. Khasfa is 'a very complicated site,' he said. Based on unverified accounts from witnesses and families and other unofficial testimonies, authorities estimate that thousands of bodies could be buried there, he said. Scores of mass graves containing thousands of bodies of people believed to have been killed by the extremist group have been found in Iraq and Syria. At its peak, IS ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom in Iraq and Syria and was notorious for its brutality. It beheaded civilians and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, one of Iraq's oldest religious minorities. The group was defeated in Iraq in July 2017, when Iraqi forces captured the northern city of Mosul. Three months later, it suffered a major blow when Kurdish forces captured the Syrian northern city of Raqqa, which was the group's de-facto capital. The war against IS officially ended in March 2019, when U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces captured the eastern Syrian town of Baghouz, which was the last sliver of land the extremists controlled. Rabah Nouri Attiyah, a lawyer who has worked on more than 70 cases of missing people in Nineveh, told the AP that information he obtained from the foundation and different Iraqi courts during his investigations points to Khasfa as 'the largest mass grave in modern Iraqi history." Al-Asady, however, said investigators 'cannot confirm yet if it is the largest mass grave' to be found in Iraq, 'but according to the size of the space, we estimate it to be one of the largest.' Attiyah said roughly 70% of the human remains at Khasfa are believed to belong to Iraqi army and police personnel, with other victims including Yazidis. He said he has interviewed numerous eyewitnesses from the area who saw IS fighters bring people there by bus and kill them. 'Many of them were decapitated,' he said. Attiyah's own uncle and cousin were police officers killed by IS, and he is among those hoping to identify and recover the remains of loved ones. Testimonies and witness statements, as well as findings from other mass graves in Nineveh, indicate that most of the military, police and other security forces personnel killed by IS are expected to be found at Khasfa, along with Yazidis from Sinjar and Shiite victims from Tal Afar, he said.
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Wetin dey do Third Mainland Bridge and how much govment say di repair go cost
Nigerians still dey wonder how govment wan spend 3.6 trillion naira to repair 3rd Mainland Bridge. Minister of Works for Nigeria, David Umahi, tok say Third Mainland Bridge go chop at least 3.6 trillion naira to repair am. Dis na sake of di problems wey di bridge don get from di structures wey dey underwater. David Umahi tok say sake of di urgency of di mata , im carry waka go di recent Federal Executive Council [FEC] wey President Bola Tinubu lead for Aso, Rock. Di FEC approve a total of N493 billion for two ogbonge projects. Di projects na to buoild new Carter Bridge for N359 billion and to upgrade di Kano-Katsina bridge to 152 kilometres for N134 billion. For Third Mainland Bridge for Lagos, South-West Nigeria, oga Uma tok say dem no go fit repair am sake of structural damage. Im add say di price to repair am cost well-well. Why Carter Bridge go chop N359 billion Di Minister of works tok say for 2019 dem bin do one study to show wetin dey happun under di water of Third Mainland bridge and di Carter bridge. Di pipo wey bin do di study discover say plenti problems dey. Dem bin install di pires [columns]in a technical term of skin friction becos dem no go fit discover rock. Skin friction na method we dem dey use secure di pires and under di aggregate of di pires na dia di pire cap dey, so dem discover say dis pires wey sand dey hold don wash away sake of illegal minning of sand and ocean current. Im explain say for 2019, dem do anoda study and dem discover say di pires don spoil well-well, some dey rust due to chlorine wey dey inside di water and dem dey lose sand well-well. Im tok say na President Bola Tinubu bin give directive make dem chook eyes for how dem go take repair di Third Mainland bridge. Umahi say dem don resurface am by 11.8 kilometres by 16 lanes. Im add say dem also chook eye for wetin dey happun under di deck above di water. "We bin give di contract to Julius Berger, Ido bridge, Carter bridge and Third Mainland bridge at a contract sum of 65 billion and dia job na to repair all di pires wey don rust, dem go also chook eye for di pire caps kon treat am sake of say dem dey exposed and e dey rust badly. Im add say wen dem bin dey do dis one wey add am for dia contract to chooking for di 2013 and 2019 underwater investigation wey be part of dia contract. According to di Minister, Julius Berger tell am say dem need to close Carter bridge sharp sharp sake of traffic and di bridge dey beyond repair dem gatz construct new one. "Dem give us a cost of about 38 something billion to repair am and e no dey realistic and di one wey dey realistic na to 359 billion for brand new bridge and dem discuss wit Dutch bank to fund am." 'Nobody submit proposal for Third Mainland Bridge but e go chop 3.8 trillion' - David Umahi For di Third Mainland bridge, Oga Umahi explain say nobody submit any proposal, but na di same underwater problems wey Carter bridge dey face na im Third Mainland bridge dy face too. "Wen we bin do a pro rata [na process wey dem go use di proportional cost of part of di work take compare to di whole work] for di part wey we go repair, e reach 3.8 trillion and if we go do new construction na 3.6 trillion." Im say dem go meet FEC to give dem approval to not less dan seven specialist contractors to do comprehensive investigation, design and bidding to reconstruct and to build new ones or to repair dem. Im say di third request na to advertise for Public, Private , Partnership [PPP] "We bin submit memo and di title for di memo na di approval for constructive engagement on di rehabilitation or construction of new Carter and Third Mainland Bridge for Lagos state." Im explain. Oda bridges wey need repairs for Nigeria Di former govnor of Ebonyi state say no be only Carter and Third Mainland bridges wey need urgent work. Im confam say oda bridges dey wey no good across di kontri and dem need sharp-sharp attention too. "I bin draw di attention of di Federal Executive Council [FEC] to di fact say we go intervene on some construction of new bridges and emergencies for a number of bridges across di nation..." Some of di bridges wey need woek include: Jaimata bridge for Adamawa state wey we don already complete. Murtala Mohammed bridge for Kogi state wey still dey go on. Jebba bridge for Niger state. Gashuwa bridge for Yobe state. Koltaka Marine bridge. Independence bridge. Akata bridge for Lagos. Ibi bridge for Taraba state, Artizan bridge for Enugu state. Apoah bride for Ebonyi state. Opobo bridge for Rivers state. Baro bridge for Niger state. Bukuru bridge for Benue state. And bridges wey don collapse along di East-West road wey include two for Delta and one for Bayelsa state.
BBC News
21 hours ago
- BBC News
Who be di most wanted Ansaru terrorist group leaders wey Nigeria security forces gbab
Di National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, don announce say di Nigeria military don gbab two top Ansaru terrorist group leaders wey e identify as identified Abu Baraa, di Amir, and Mahmuda, di deputy Amir. Ribadu yarn dis one for press briefing on security developments for di Office of di National Security Adviser. Di NSA say na dis two men dey responsible for planning several terrorist operations for Nigeria and high-profile kidnappings. According to Ribadu, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara'a/Abbas/Mukhtar), na self-styled Emir of ANSARU. "Na im be di coordinator of various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria. Na im also be di mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies wey dem dey use to finance terrorism ova di years. Ribadu say Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda) na Abu Bara's proclaimed Chief of Staff and Deputy. Di NSA say Mamuda na di leader of "Mahmudawa" cell wey around di Kainji National Park, between Niger and Kwara States up to di Benin Republic. "Mamuda bin train for Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, and specialise in weapons handling and IED fabrication." According to di NSA said di two men don dey on Nigeria most-wanted list for years, afta dem jointly lead multiple attacks on civilians, security forces, and critical infrastructure. We dey update dis tori
