Some serving soldiers have revealed how officers and commanders sell arms and ammunition meant for Nigeria’s war against terrorism and banditry.

The revelation followed the outrage that trailed resurfaced footage showing the confession of an arms dealer, which has been widely shared online.

In the viral clip, the suspect, identified as a 30-year-old Nigerien, Shehu Ali Kachalla, narrated how military personnel provided armed escorts and protection for his illicit weapon deliveries to bandit groups operating in northern Nigeria.

Kachalla was arrested on May 14, 2021 by the Zamfara State Police Command in a joint operation with the Federal Intelligence Bureau and Special Tactical Squad.

During his parade and interrogation, he confessed to smuggling over 450 rifles and 8,000 rounds of ammunition from Niger Republic into Nigeria, selling them to bandit groups in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger states.

He said the weapons were transported in convoys that crossed porous border areas, and that “military men usually escort and cover him” during these deliveries.

According to him, this protection included armed soldiers riding alongside the convoys, providing security against rival gangs, customs officials, or anti-smuggling patrols.

“I have sold four hundred and fifty rifles and eight thousand live ammunition to different criminal gangs,” Kachalla said.

Also, recently, a Nigerian Army Special Court-Martial sentenced three soldiers to life imprisonment for illegal arms trafficking and “aiding and abetting the enemy.”

The 7 Division’s Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Haruna Sani, said another soldier bagged a 15-year jail term.

He said all the four soldiers were found guilty of stealing and selling military-grade weapons and ammunition, with some items allegedly smuggled across state lines hidden in bags of food.

Sani said the soldiers were jailed after they pleaded guilty to counts of theft, unlawful dealing in ammunition, offence in relation to service property as well as aiding “the enemy”.

How officers, commanders sell arms – Soldiers

Speaking in separate interviews with Sunday PUNCH, four serving soldiers from different commands confirmed that the illegal acts were ongoing and gave different reasons why it had become rampant.

A soldier serving in Borno State, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, told our correspondent that senior military officers and commanders were complicit in the illegal arms deals.

The Private said the practice was well-known within the force.

“It is not a new thing,” he said. “But one thing is certain, the majority who engage in arms dealing are soldiers and commanders.”

He added that the development had sparked resentment among troops on the ground.

“The majority hate the soldiers and commanders involved in those arms dealings. But those things are happening. They are going on right now as we speak,” he said.

In an interview with Sunday PUNCH, another serving soldier alleged that some troops sell weapons and ammunition to terrorists, blaming the criminal act on harsh living conditions in the military.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the soldier said low salaries often pushed personnel into illegal deals.

“Soldiers at the war front are hungry, and many of them only depend on their salary, which is not adequate. It is very difficult to survive on your salary when you are fighting for your country, and the living conditions are pathetic,” he said.

He described the illegal trade as “highly lucrative”, noting that desperation made it easy for personnel to convince themselves to participate.

The soldier identified three major sources of fast money within the military as illegal arms sales, drug smuggling, and oil bunkering.

He warned, however, that those who ventured into the business found it hard to stop.

According to him, soldiers deployed in conflict zones have easier access to excess rounds of ammunition, which creates opportunities for diversion.

“Those who indulge in the illegal sale of ammunition are those who have made up their minds to leave the army, and they always devise the means to carry out their deals.

“Especially those who are in operational grounds like Katsina and Maiduguri; those that are in operation like that are not assigned limited numbers of rounds. That is where the opportunity to engage in illegal sale of rounds is. Those ones don’t return unexpended rounds,” he revealed.

He also criticised military remuneration, saying it fuels corruption.

“In the military, even paramilitary, the salary is a scam; it is not enough to survive. That is why many of those who are in business with terrorists do not mind the danger in it,” he said.

Sharing a personal experience, another soldier also confirmed the existence of such shady deals but declined to provide further details.

He said that although names of offenders were often circulated in military group chats, such arrests had become rare in recent times.

The soldier disclosed that he once returned from Maiduguri, Borno State, with unexpended rounds but chose to bury them rather than risk being caught with the ammunition.

An army officer also said he witnessed the arrest of some soldiers who attempted supplying arms to Boko Haram insurgents in Maiduguri.

He noted that the incident happened before his redeployment to the 8 Division, Sokoto.

In October last year, during the destruction of arms by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Abuja, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, blamed the proliferation of weapons in Nigeria on corrupt dealings within the security agencies.

Visibly enraged by the trend, Ribadu rained curses on security personnel who facilitated the movement of arms to terrorists, bandits, and other non-state actors.

According to him, a sizeable number of the illicit arms used to commit crimes in the country originally belonged to the government but ended up in the wrong hands because of compromised officials.

The NSA warned that the threat was not only internal but also fuelled by “merchants of death and evil from outside the world.”

He stressed that the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons remained “a major threat to national security.”

Calls and messages to the Director of Defence Media Information, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye were not replied to as of the time of going to press. (PUNCH)