Nigerian soldier on leave arrested at Maiduguri bus terminal with ammunition hidden in sack

 

A Nigerian soldier was arrested at the Borno Express Terminal in Maiduguri, Borno State, after security operatives discovered 350 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed in a sack during a routine check. 

The soldier, identified as Corporal Musa Abdullahi, was apprehended on Thursday, July 31. 

Abdullahi was on a welfare pass and reportedly traveling to Kano State when he was detained by the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police (NACMP) for illegal possession of ammunition. 

According to security sources, the arrest occurred during a stop-and-search operation at the busy bus terminal, a key transit point in the state capital.

Operatives found the ammunition hidden inside a sack of grains, raising concerns about potential links to illicit activities.

“The soldier was attempting to board a vehicle when we uncovered the rounds carefully concealed in his luggage,” a military source disclosed to journalists, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

The seized ammunition has been handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation. 

Preliminary investigations suggest Abdullahi, attached to the 81st Battalion in the Northeast, had been granted leave to visit his family.

However, his possession of such a large quantity of ammunition has sparked questions about his intentions.  

The Nigerian Army, in a statement by Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, emphasized its zero-tolerance policy for misconduct.

“The soldier is in custody, and a thorough probe is underway to ascertain the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Nwachukwu said, adding that disciplinary measures would follow if the soldier is found culpable. 

This is not the first time soldiers have been caught illegally possessing ammunition in Maiduguri, and it has fueled suspicions of internal breaches, with some cases linked to the supply of arms to criminal groups.