DSS Arrests British Army Major, Accomplices For Smuggling Over 50 AK-47 Rifles, Six Pump-Action Guns into Nigeria
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a serving Major in the British Army (name withheld), and several accomplices for allegedly smuggling a cache of weapons into Nigeria, including 57 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action shotguns, and over 3,000 rounds of ammunition.
OTN News further reports as gathered from the Nation that the arrest which was carried out in Lagos and Asaba, the Delta State capital, was confirmed by multiple DSS sources to News men over the weekend.
According to the information gathered, the prime suspect, an Itsekiri native serving in the British Army, was reportedly working at the behest of an individual identified as Collins.
He was intercepted in Lagos as he attempted to cross Nigeria’s border en route back to the United Kingdom, while his associates were apprehended during a covert operation near Asaba.
A source within the DSS revealed: "An Itsekiri serving in the British Army is alleged to have procured weapons and ammunition at the request of one Collins to instigate unrest in Warri. During an undercover arms exchange near Asaba, DSS operatives arrested the arms supplier and his associates, seizing a significant cache of weapons and ammunition."
Following the arrests, all suspects were taken into DSS custody. Authorities have pledged to conduct a full and transparent investigation, vowing that anyone found culpable of plotting tribal conflict will be held accountable.
OTN News observes from the information gathered that preliminary investigations suggest that the smuggled weapons may be linked to tensions surrounding the controversial delineation of wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency.
Furthermore, opposition to the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) ongoing delineation exercise has fueled unrest in the area.
The delineation process stems from a December 2022 Supreme Court judgment directing INEC to rework the ward and polling unit boundaries across three local government areas in Warri.
OTN News further observes that the INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Etekamba Umoren, while presenting the report to Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo representatives in Asaba, urged stakeholders to carefully review and respond to the findings.
The delineation has been met with mixed reactions. Ijaw youths recently marched to INEC headquarters in Abuja, praising the commission’s efforts as fair and transparent, signaling a historic end to political marginalization.
Conversely, the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILoT) have also strongly opposed the exercise, warning it could politically marginalize the Itsekiri nation and pledging legal action.
Reacting to the arms smuggling revelation, Sir Amorighoye Mene, scribe of the ILoT, distanced the Itsekiri opposition movement from the incident.
Speaking in a telephone interview with the Nation, Mene said: "If this discovery is true, it has nothing to do with the proposed delineation. Peace has returned to the area, and we have met with the National Security Adviser, who assured us the government is addressing our concerns."
Mene further emphasized that the Itsekiri community remains committed to peace under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and dismissed any notions of confrontation or violence.
Meanwhile, DSS investigations continue amid growing calls for authorities to fully uncover the motives and networks behind the smuggled arms, as the Delta region watches developments closely
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