DSS arrests suspected arms maker linked to Plateau attacks

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a suspected arms dealer believed to be supplying weapons used in recent attacks in Plateau State and nearby areas.

The suspect, identified as Musa Abubakar, was picked up on November 12, 2025, after intelligence led DSS operatives to his workshop in the Mista Ali area of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State.

In a statement on Sunday, the DSS said Abubakar had been producing and distributing weapons and ammunition to armed groups operating in Plateau and other northern states. Items recovered from the workshop include components of improvised explosive devices, chemicals and other equipment.

According to the service, Abubakar confessed to making and selling high-calibre weapons to criminal groups responsible for violent attacks in the region.

The arrest followed what the DSS described as “precise and credible intelligence” on the suspect’s activities.

The operation comes just days after the DSS re-arrested Abdulazeez Obadaki, also known as Bomboy, a Kuje Prison escapee linked to the Owo and Deeper Life Church attacks. The agency had also earlier announced the arrest of nine other suspects, including 46-year-old Timna Manjol.

The DSS said it will continue to track and dismantle networks supplying arms to criminals across the country.