A grade 1 magistrate court in Jalingo, Taraba State, has sentenced three individuals apprehended by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) to 10 years in prison for arms trafficking.
TheCable gathered that the convicts — Sakina Garba, Ali Gono, and Ibrahim Abdulrashi — were arrested between January and February 2026 along the Wukari–Jalingo road in Taraba while transporting weapons concealed in two sacks containing food items.
During the operation, DSS operatives recovered one AK-47 rifle, 984 rounds of 7.6 mm ammunition, 105 rounds of 7.82 mm ammunition, 14 AK-47 rifle magazines, three POS machines, and N200,200 in cash.
A security source said the suspects were conveying the weapons and ammunition from Bantaje village in Wukari LGA of Taraba to deliver them to a bandit kingpin who is still at large.
Meanwhile, Halima Umaru, suspected to be an arms courier, pleaded guilty to the charges brought against her by the DSS at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The secret police arrested Umaru in Plateau State while she was in possession of 302 live rounds of ammunition allegedly meant for delivery to a man identified as Sani.
A DSS witness informed the court that the suspect was apprehended in Plateau with the ammunition.
The witness presented the ammunition, the investigation report, the defendant’s statements, and the money recovered from her as evidence.
Haywa Yilwatda, the presiding judge, adjourned the case until May 8 for sentencing.
The DSS has recently stepped up operations against criminal elements nationwide, resulting in the arrest of several key suspects.
Shafiu Usman, a suspect connected to the attack on the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Aiyetoro, Kabba/Bunu LGA of Kogi State, was recently arrested by the DSS.
The secret police have also arrested suspects linked to the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.