The Nigerian Army reported that its troops successfully intercepted and apprehended eight individuals involved in smuggling fuel from Nigeria to the Ambazonian rebels in the Republic of Cameroon to support their terrorist activities.
In a statement released on Friday by Maj Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, it was revealed that the suspects were arrested by troops deployed for Counter-terrorism operations along the Nigeria-Cameroon Border in Taraba State.
The operation, driven by actionable intelligence and extensive surveillance, took place on Friday, May 24th, 2024, along the Abong-Kurmi Baissa Road in Taraba State, near the Nigeria-Cameroon border.
The suspects, identified as Jafaru Adamu (32 years), Auwal Haruna (34 years), Umar Dahiru, Mubarak Abdullahi (20 years), Saidu Musa (26 years), Bashiru Ibrahim (18 years), Danlami Yahuaza (19 years), and Abubakar Abdullahi (19 years), were caught enroute the border with a large quantity of fuel.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the culprits confessed to smuggling and selling fuel to the Cameroonian Ambazonian rebels, who are prohibited from entering Nigeria to purchase the product directly.
The suspects disclosed that they had sourced fuel from different local government areas at varying rates, and at the time of their arrest, they were traveling in three J5 vehicles, carrying 605 jerry cans, totaling 24,200 liters of fuel worth Nineteen Million Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira (₦19,360,000) only.
Furthermore, the investigation led to the identification of other members of the smuggling syndicate, including Alhaji Abdulmumini, Jafaru Adamu, Babilu Zubairu, Sule Abong, and Mark Akawu, reportedly the chairman of the syndicate based in Abong, a border community between Kurmi LGA of Taraba State and the Republic of Cameroon.
The statement emphasized that this operation marks a significant step in curbing the illegal supply of resources to terrorist groups and enhancing regional security.
Tags
local