NSCDC Arrests Personnel for Illegal Sale of Service Rifles

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested personnel over allegations of illegal sale and diversion of service rifles. NSCDC Spokesperson Babawale Afolabi reported that an investigation by the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS), led by Commander Dandaura Appollos, uncovered that an unnamed officer removed an AK-47 rifle from his post instead of returning it to the armoury.

The officer allegedly concealed the rifle in polythene bags and transported it to Otukpo, Benue, where he sold it for N700,000. The buyer then resold the rifle to an illicit arms buyer known as IBB for N800,000.

Additionally, the CG’s SIS revealed a systematic diversion of two G3 rifles from an NSCDC armoury between 2018 and 2024, involving a senior officer who sold the rifles to junior personnel for N210,000 and N220,000. The investigation exposed falsified records to conceal the missing firearms, leading to the recovery of the AK-47 and confessional statements from key suspects.