By Johnson Adamu, Maiduguri
No fewer than 33 security personnel, comprising 18 soldiers and 15 policemen, including a monarch, were nabbed by men of ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ operating in the North-east for allegedly selling arms to members of terror gangs. Disclosing this in Maiduguri during a press conference with Defence Correspondents on the activities of the Joint Task Force North-east operation from 2024 to 2025, the Staff Officer Grade two OPHK, Major Ademola Owolana, said the successes were recorded under Operation Snowball which was launched in August 2024 to counter-ammunition racketeering in the theatre.
He said the operation was being conducted across 11 states with suspects arrested in Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory.
“So far, a total of 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen, and 8 civilians, including a traditional ruler have been arrested.
“Preliminary findings from ongoing investigation reveals community pressure on serving security personnel to supply arms and ammunition for communal conflicts as driving factors,” he said.
He emphasised that the “lucrative nature of trading in ammunition is also a driving factor for its persistence”.
