Captured Bandit Exposes Alleged Military Arms Supplier, Claims Gang Collected ₦1bn From Two Customs-Linked Kidnappings

A suspected notorious bandit, identified as Dago Sale, has made startling allegations against a serving Nigerian soldier, accusing the military personnel of supplying firearms to his criminal gang for ₦1 million per weapon.

The suspect also claimed that his gang collected a staggering ₦1 billion in ransom from two separate kidnapping operations involving officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), raising fresh concerns about possible collaboration between criminal networks and individuals within Nigeria’s security institutions.

Sale made the revelations during an interrogation conducted in Hausa in a video reportedly obtained by SaharaReporters and subsequently reported by other Nigerian media organisations on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

According to the suspect, who claimed to have participated in banditry for approximately four years, the criminal network operated across parts of Kaduna and Kogi states, maintaining camps in forest locations while targeting travellers and other individuals considered capable of paying huge ransoms.

In one of the most disturbing aspects of his confession, Sale identified a serving soldier, whom he named only as Abdul, as an alleged supplier of firearms to the gang.

He claimed that the soldier sold each firearm for ₦1 million and personally delivered the weapons to the gang’s section in Kaduna State using a vehicle.

The suspect further alleged that the arrangement was facilitated through the gang’s leadership, which introduced members to the alleged military supplier.

Sale also claimed that the soldier had several houses in an area identified during the interrogation as Pida Bulu, Babang Saura, alleging that the properties were acquired with proceeds from the gang’s criminal activities.

He further alleged that the soldier was holding ₦5 million belonging to him, explaining that the money was connected to an arrangement involving the purchase of Plaster of Paris (POP) materials for house renovation.

During the interrogation, Sale reportedly expressed willingness to cooperate with security agencies to identify the alleged soldier and other individuals who supplied the gang with weapons, food and other necessities.

The suspect’s allegations, however, have not been independently verified, and no official confirmation of the identity or involvement of the alleged soldier was contained in the reports.

In another shocking revelation, Sale claimed that the gang collected ₦500 million from each of two kidnapping operations involving Nigeria Customs Service personnel in Kaduna State.

According to his account, the first operation involved the abduction of a Customs officer, with the gang allegedly receiving ₦500 million as ransom.

He claimed that the second operation targeted another Customs officer but resulted in the abduction of the officer’s wife in an attempt to exert pressure on her husband.

The gang allegedly received another ₦500 million from the second incident, bringing the total ransom collected from the two operations to ₦1 billion.

The claims, if substantiated, could raise serious questions about the safety of security personnel and their families, as well as the extent of intelligence available to criminal networks operating in the country.

Sale also provided details of the gang’s alleged kidnapping operations along the Lokoja highway in Kogi State, describing how members identified and abducted travellers they considered wealthy.

He claimed that the gang members usually assessed potential victims through their appearance, clothing and the type of vehicles they travelled in.

According to him, the criminals would gather along the highway, stop vehicles and abduct selected occupants before taking them into nearby forests, where they were held until ransom negotiations were concluded.

He alleged that the gang demanded between ₦100 million and ₦200 million from some victims.

The suspect estimated that approximately 20 members of the criminal network operated from a camp around Lokoja, while more than 100 bandits operated across several groups in Kaduna State.

He suggested that the number of armed criminals operating in Kaduna could be significantly higher.

Sale also identified Rijana as one of the gang’s camps, describing its location as deep inside a forest beyond Sabuwa Gayam and Doguwa Gayam.

When questioned about the whereabouts of some abducted victims, he reportedly said they were taken into forests but could not identify the exact location of the particular forest where they were being held.

He nevertheless maintained that other members of the gang remained active along the Lokoja road.

The latest allegations have added to longstanding concerns about the proliferation of illegal firearms and the possible involvement of compromised security personnel in Nigeria’s banditry and kidnapping crisis.

In October 2025, Punch Newspapers published an investigation detailing allegations by serving soldiers that some military personnel and commanders diverted weapons and ammunition meant for counterterrorism operations to criminal groups.

The investigation also revisited the case of an arms dealer, Shehu Ali Kachalla, who was arrested in 2021 and confessed to trafficking hundreds of rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition to bandit groups operating in parts of northern Nigeria.

Although the earlier investigation concerned separate cases, it highlighted the security challenges associated with illegal arms trafficking and alleged insider involvement in weapons supply networks.

The latest claims by Sale therefore present another serious set of allegations requiring investigation by the appropriate authorities.

The Nigerian military and the Nigeria Customs Service would need to establish whether the individuals and incidents mentioned by the suspect can be identified through independent intelligence, operational records and other evidence.

It also remains unclear from the reports whether the alleged soldier has been identified, arrested or formally questioned by military authorities, or whether investigations have commenced into the two alleged kidnappings involving Customs personnel.

The authorities are expected to establish the authenticity of the confession, investigate the alleged arms supply arrangement and determine whether other individuals within or outside the security agencies provided logistical support to the criminal network.

Until such investigations are concluded, the allegations against the unnamed soldier and the claimed ransom payments should be treated as unverified claims by an arrested suspect.

Captured Bandit Exposes Alleged Military Arms Supplier, Claims Gang Collected ₦1bn From Two Customs-Linked Kidnappings