Police arrest arms courier in Kwara, 24 hours after DSS nabbed doctor supplying medical aid to kidnappers
Barely 24 hours after operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested a medical doctor accused of transporting medical supplies from Sokoto State to kidnapping gangs operating in Kwara, the state has recorded another major breakthrough in its fight against criminal networks.
The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the arrest of an alleged arms courier along the Gbugbu–Patigi road, a route long considered a strategic corridor for bandit movements between Niger, Kogi, and Kwara states.
According to security sources, the suspect was intercepted during a targeted stop-and-search operation following intelligence that weapons were being ferried to criminal cells operating around Patigi, Edu, and neighbouring riverine communities. Officers reportedly recovered a cache of ammunition concealed in bags of grains, alongside communication gadgets believed to be used for coordinating supply runs to armed groups.
Kwara State Police Command spokesperson is expected to issue a formal statement, but security officials familiar with the operation described the arrest as “another critical disruption of a well-organized supply chain feeding kidnapping syndicates in the North-Central.”
The development comes on the heels of Tuesday’s high-profile arrest of a Sokoto-based medical doctor by the DSS, who was allegedly transporting drugs, bandages, and other clinical supplies to kidnappers in the forests around Kwara. The two arrests, occurring within a 24-hour window, are seen by analysts as evidence of intensifying pressure on support networks that sustain kidnapping operations in the region.
Security experts say both incidents highlight a troubling but increasingly documented pattern: the existence of specialized couriers—ranging from health personnel to gunrunners—who provide logistical lifelines to criminal groups operating along the vast forest belts of the North-Central.
With coordinated operations now targeting these supply lines, authorities believe the fight against kidnapping in Kwara may be entering a decisive phase.
More details are expected as investigations continue.
