Security analysts allege that Suruddubu’s operations go beyond arms trafficking, as he is also responsible for facilitating the movement of essential supplies, including foodstuffs and motorcycles, to criminal gangs operating in the area.
Nigerian security operatives have reportedly arrested a notorious arms trafficker, Hamza Suruddubu, who has been supplying weapons to terrorist groups terrorizing Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State
Sources familiar with the operation told counter-insurgency expert and security analyst, Zagazola Makama that Suruddubu, described as a well-known arms dealer from Eastern Sokoto, has been deeply involved in the smuggling and distribution of firearms from Zamfara State to terrorist enclaves in Eastern Sokoto.
His clientele reportedly includes some of the most feared bandit leaders, such as Bello Turji, Boka, and Halilu Buzu.
Security analysts allege that Suruddubu’s operations go beyond arms trafficking, as he is also responsible for facilitating the movement of essential supplies, including foodstuffs and motorcycles, to criminal gangs operating in the area.
Shockingly, sources claimed that some corrupt security operatives in Shinkafi and Isa local government areas may be complicit in the illicit arms trade, a revelation that has raised serious concerns about the integrity of security efforts in the region.
Meanwhile, this development came amid growing fears over Turji’s expanding influence in Sokoto. A Sokoto State lawmaker, Minu Boza, recently accused the notorious terrorist of imposing a ₦25 million levy on villages in the eastern part of the state, further tightening his grip on local communities.
Boza, who represents Sabon Birnin Gobir in the Sokoto State Assembly, sounded the alarm over Turji’s presence in Isa and Sabon Birni, calling for urgent intervention from security agencies.
“Bello Turji is currently in the Isa and Sabon Birni axis of Sokoto. He has even imposed a ₦25 million levy per village in some communities,” Boza told journalists.
However, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, had also revealed that Turji might be considering surrendering to security forces.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, General Musa stated that sustained military operations had severely weakened Turji’s network, leaving him with limited options.
“He is now forced to release most of the people under him,” General Musa said. “Recently, he has begun to say he doesn’t want anything; he is ready to surrender.”