The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Musa Abubakar, a suspected major arms dealer believed to be a key supplier of weapons to armed groups operating in Plateau State and other parts of northern Nigeria.
Jos, Plateau State — November 12, 2025
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Musa Abubakar, a suspected major arms dealer believed to be a key supplier of weapons to armed groups operating in Plateau State and other parts of northern Nigeria.
According to authoritative DSS sources, Abubakar’s arrest followed precise intelligence that traced his activities to a clandestine arms manufacturing hub. Operatives launched a targeted operation on November 12, 2025, leading to his capture at his workshop located in the Mista Ali area of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The intelligence-driven raid uncovered a cache of dangerous materials. A DSS source stated:
“The suspect confessed to having manufactured and distributed high-caliber weapons and ammunition to armed groups involved in violent attacks in Plateau State and other northern regions.”
The operatives also seized Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components, chemicals, and various equipment reportedly used in the production of sophisticated weapons. Abubakar was said to have been apprehended “red-handed” during the raid, with all recovered items now in DSS custody.
This major breakthrough comes shortly after the recapture of Abdulazeez Obadaki, popularly known as Bomboy, a high-profile Kuje Prison escapee implicated in the Owo and Deeper Life Church attacks.
Security analysts note that these recent successful missions underscore the DSS’s strengthened efforts in combating terrorism, arms proliferation, and other threats to national stability.
The arrest also adds to the string of high-profile apprehensions the DSS has made in recent months. It will be recalled that the Agency earlier confirmed the arrest of nine suspects linked to the violent attacks in Plateau and Benue States. Among them is Timna Manjol (46), who reportedly pled guilty to two of four charges—including illegal possession of firearms—in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/451/2025. Manjol, associated with the First Baptist Church in Mangu LGA of Plateau State, remains in custody.
The DSS has reiterated its commitment to intensifying counterterrorism operations and ensuring that criminal networks supplying arms to violent groups are dismantled.
