A suspected bandit, Dago Sale, has alleged that a serving Nigerian soldier supplied firearms to his gang for ₦1m each, while claiming that the group collected ₦1bn in ransom from two kidnapping operations involving Nigeria Customs Service officers.
Sale made the allegations during an interrogation in Hausa in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, in which he also described the gang’s operations in parts of Kaduna and Kogi states.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and the identity of the soldier accused of supplying the weapons has not been established beyond the name Abdul mentioned during the interrogation.
Sale, who said he had been involved in banditry for about four years, claimed that the soldier delivered firearms to the gang’s section in Kaduna State using a vehicle.
He said each gun was sold for ₦1m and that the gang’s leaders had introduced members to the alleged supplier.
The suspect further alleged that the soldier had several houses in an area he identified as Pida Bulu, Babang Saura, which he claimed were built with proceeds from the gang’s criminal activities.
Sale also claimed that the soldier was holding ₦5m belonging to him, explaining that the money was connected to an arrangement involving the purchase of Plaster of Paris materials for house renovation.
During the interrogation, he said he would cooperate with security agencies to identify the alleged supplier and other people who provided the gang with weapons, food and other necessities.
Sale also alleged that the gang received ₦500m from each of two kidnapping operations involving Customs officers in Kaduna State.
According to him, the first incident involved the abduction of a Customs officer, while the second targeted another officer but resulted in the kidnapping of the officer’s wife.
He claimed the gang collected ₦500m in ransom in each case, bringing the total to ₦1bn.
The suspect also described the group’s operations along the Lokoja road in Kogi State, alleging that its members stopped vehicles and abducted travellers they considered wealthy.
He said the gang selected potential victims based on their appearance, clothing, and the vehicles they travelled in before taking them into the forest and demanding ransom. According to Sale, the gang demanded between ₦100m and ₦200m from some victims.
He claimed about 20 members operated from a camp around Lokoja, while more than 100 bandits operated in Kaduna State across several groups. He suggested that the number in Kaduna could be higher.
Sale identified Rijana as one of the gang’s camps, describing it as being deep inside a forest beyond Sabuwa Gayam and Doguwa Gayam.
He also alleged that other gang members remained active along the Lokoja road, although he said he did not know the name of the forest where some abducted victims were held.
The claims, including the alleged involvement of a serving soldier, would require independent verification by security authorities.
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