In a targeted operation underscoring the ongoing security challenges in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, troops from the Joint Task Force Operation-Enduring Peace (JTF-OPEP) have apprehended a suspected gunrunner and seized a substantial arsenal in Plateau State. The arrest highlights the critical, intelligence-driven work being done to disrupt the supply chains fueling local conflicts.
Arrest and Seizure: A Detailed Breakdown
By Polycarp Auta
Jos, Dec. 20, 2025 (NAN) – Acting on a specific and credible intelligence tip-off, a combined team of JTF-OPEP troops and a tactical unit from an intelligence agency established a snap checkpoint in the Mairana community of Mangu Local Government Area (LGA) on Friday.
Major Samson Zhakom, the Media Officer for the operation, confirmed the details in a statement released in Jos on Saturday. The operation led to the interception of an individual found in possession of two boxes containing 1,400 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition. This specific caliber is particularly significant; it is a standard round for many military-grade rifles and is often favored by well-armed criminal and militant groups due to its high penetration and stopping power. The seizure of such a large quantity represents a major disruption to potential planned attacks or communal violence.
“The suspect has been taken into custody, and the recovered ammunition is secured pending further investigation,” Zhakom stated. “Follow-up operations are currently underway to track down and apprehend other members of this criminal network.” This indicates the military is treating the arrest as a potential entry point into a wider syndicate, rather than an isolated incident.
Expanded Operations and Broader Context
In a related but separate operation, the troops also conducted a raid on a suspected criminal hideout in the Gwender community of Bokkos LGA. There, they recovered a more diverse and concerning array of weaponry: a fabricated AK-47 rifle, a pistol, and numerous rounds of ammunition of various calibers. The presence of a locally fabricated weapon is a telling detail. It points to the sophistication of illicit arms networks within the region, where workshops can produce functional firearms, complicating efforts to trace their origins and making them more accessible to non-state actors.
These operations occur against a backdrop of persistent farmer-herder clashes, communal tensions, and banditry in Plateau State and the wider North-Central region. The flow of small arms and light weapons is a primary accelerant of this violence. Each successful interception, therefore, is not just a law enforcement victory but a direct action to prevent future bloodshed and instability.
Major Zhakom concluded the statement by appealing to the public: “We urge all residents of Plateau State to continue supporting the security agencies with timely and actionable information. Community cooperation is indispensable in our shared mission to ensure lasting peace in Plateau.” This call to action reinforces the reality that military and intelligence operations, while crucial, are most effective when integrated with strong local trust and collaboration.
The suspect is expected to face prosecution under Nigeria’s stringent firearms laws, as investigations continue to unravel the network behind this arms cache. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
AZA/YMU
Edited by Yakubu Uba
