The Department of State Services (DSS) has intercepted a large consignment of weapons allegedly smuggled into Nigeria from the Niger Republic, recovering 21 AK-47 rifles, four PKT machine guns and 825 magazines in Sokoto State.
The operation was conducted on Tuesday, November 10, at Dawakawa in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, following surveillance of suspected terrorist networks, according to security sources cited by multiple newsrooms. A female courier was arrested during the operation.
- 21 AK-47 rifles, four PKT machine guns and 825 magazines were recovered
- The interception happened at Dawakawa, Goronyo LGA, Sokoto State, on Tuesday
- The DSS says 14 suspected female arms couriers have been arrested since February 2025
How the arms were moved into Nigeria
Security sources said the suspected traffickers used camels to transport the consignment through remote border routes and difficult terrain along the Nigeria-Niger border, in an attempt to evade surveillance.
The sources said armed groups have increasingly turned to women and beasts of burden to move weapons as interceptions by security agencies have risen nationwide.
The interception comes less than 70 days before the start of the 2027 general elections, and the Service said it has tracked one of the field commanders tasked with moving weapons into the country ahead of the polls.
The wider crackdown on female couriers
Earlier in the week, DSS operatives in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State arrested another suspected courier, Hafsat Umar, recovering 12 grenades and two ammunition belts.
According to the reports, Umar is the 14th suspected female arms courier arrested by the DSS between February 2025 and November 2026, in operations spanning Zamfara, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Taraba, Kaduna and Plateau states.
Three female couriers — Halima Abdullahi, Safiya Salihu and Halima Umar — were convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja earlier in 2026 and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment each in terrorism-related cases, the reports said.
What happens next
The Service says it will sustain intelligence-led operations to dismantle illegal arms networks supplying bandits and other armed groups, and prosecute those involved.
Credit: Channels Television, ThisDay and Vanguard reports of November 11, 2026, citing security sources. Follow @newstweetnaija on Instagram for the day's biggest stories.
