Nigeria urged to deepen probe into arms deals, engage Niger republic in joint investigations

Nigeria urged to deepen probe into arms deals, engage Niger republic in joint investigations

By: Zagazola Makama

Security experts have urged the Nigerian government to intensify investigations into arms procurement networks linked to bandit kingpins in the northwest, by working closely with Niger Republic and other Alliance of Sahel States (AES) members.

This follows intelligence reports that AES agencies in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are probing Nigerian bandit leaders and their alleged financiers over cross-border arms deals.

Credible sources revealed that some Nigerian politicians, involved in peace agreements with armed groups, may have diverted large sums of state funds to the kingpins. The funds are allegedly being used to purchase weapons through proxies along the Nigeria–Niger border.

According to the report, the kingpins who have carried out kidnappings of schoolchildren, expatriates, and attacks on Nigerian security forces procure high caliber weapons using hard currency. Several suspected gunrunners connected to the arms network have recently been arrested by AES operatives and are under interrogation.

“The AES agencies have arrested gunrunners crossing into Nigeria who have links to these kingpins. The scale of their arms transactions is alarming,” a security source told Zagazola Makama.

The ongoing probe also seeks to establish whether officials who brokered peace deals with bandits knowingly enabled the diversion of public funds for arms purchases.

Meanwhile, intelligence sources said investigations are ongoing into alleged arms procurement by notorious bandit kingpins in northwestern Nigeria.

Key discoveries include arms acquisition by bandit leaders through proxies along the Nigeria–Niger border and recent arrests of gunrunners linked to the criminal networks.

Security experts stressed the need for renewed collaboration between Nigeria and Niger to dismantle transnational terrorism networks and identify sponsors.

The two countries have historically cooperated in the fight against Boko Haram and Islamic State-linked groups, though relations have been strained since the 2023 coup in Niger.

Nonetheless, recent arrests of suspects accused of funding and transporting recruits from West Africa to the Middle East for training point to the importance of intelligence sharing and diplomatic engagement.

Analysts say Nigeria must take advantage of this AES-led investigation by engaging Niger in joint probes to unravel the full scale of the arms procurement networks and expose both local and foreign sponsors fueling insecurity in Nigeria, West Africa and the Sahel.

Nigeria urged to deepen probe into arms deals, engage Niger republic in joint investigations