Rocket Launchers, Ransom Payments Raise Fresh Concerns Over Bandits’ Firepower

Nigeria’s protracted security crisis has taken a worrying turn following reports that armed bandits are gaining access to increasingly sophisticated weapons, including rocket launchers, raising fresh concerns about their sources of arms, funding and supply networks.

On October 2, the Sokoto State Police Command announced the recovery of at least two rocket launchers and other dangerous weapons following an attack by armed bandits on Tsabre village in Isa Local Government Area of the state.

The discovery has renewed concerns over the growing firepower of criminal groups operating across Nigeria, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions, where attacks on communities, killings and mass abductions for ransom have persisted.

For years, bandits have relied largely on assault rifles and other firearms to raid villages, attack places of worship, ambush security personnel, abduct residents and demand ransom from victims’ families.

However, reports of their access to more powerful weapons have raised questions about how the arms enter the country, the networks supplying them and the implications for military and law enforcement operations.

Several allegations and reports have pointed to possible channels through which armed groups obtain weapons, including cross-border smuggling, illicit arms sales and alleged support from individuals with access to resources and security networks.

There have also been allegations that helicopters have been used to transport arms and other supplies to remote forest locations in the North-West, where armed groups operate.

In 2021, former President Muhammadu Buhari declared a no-fly zone over Zamfara State as part of measures aimed at restricting the movement of arms and supplies to bandits operating in the state and neighbouring areas.

Subsequent videos reportedly showing helicopters landing in remote forest locations where non-state armed groups were said to be present fuelled further speculation about possible supply routes. However, such footage does not, on its own, establish that weapons were being transported or identify those responsible.

Security experts have also identified the smuggling of firearms across Nigeria’s extensive and porous borders as a significant challenge, particularly along routes connecting the country with the Republic of Niger and other neighbouring states.

In addition, individuals involved in illegal gold mining have been accused of sponsoring insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria to protect their interests and facilitate access to mineral resources. Such allegations require independent investigation to establish the identities of those involved and the extent of any links to armed groups.

In March 2021, a repentant bandit reportedly alleged in an interview that government officials were aware of how criminal groups acquired their weapons. The allegation highlighted concerns about possible links between armed groups and influential individuals, although such claims require corroboration.

There have also been allegations that some military personnel divert or sell weapons and ammunition intended for counterterrorism and anti-banditry operations to criminal groups.

In October 2025, a suspected arms dealer identified as 30-year-old Nigerien national Shehu Ali Kachalla reportedly described how military personnel allegedly provided escorts and protection for his illicit weapons deliveries to bandit groups in northern Nigeria.

Kachalla was arrested in a joint operation involving the Zamfara State Police Command, the Federal Intelligence Bureau and the Special Tactical Squad.

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

He allegedly said the weapons were transported in convoys through porous border areas, with military personnel providing protection against rival gangs, customs officials and anti-smuggling patrols.

The allegations, if substantiated, would point to serious vulnerabilities in arms control and border security. They also underscore the need for thorough investigations into suspected arms trafficking networks and any officials allegedly involved.

Beyond the illicit arms trade, ransom payments have emerged as another source of funding for criminal groups, potentially enabling them to acquire firearms, ammunition, vehicles and other operational resources.

According to an intelligence report by SBM, at least ₦7.78 billion was reportedly paid in ransom to kidnappers across Nigeria between July 2025 and June 2026, a period during which 7,825 people were kidnapped.

The report estimated that kidnappers demanded approximately ₦22.856 billion for the release of their victims during the same period, although the amount reportedly paid was substantially lower.

Recent abductions have also highlighted the financial burden ransom demands place on families.

Parents of 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who were abducted in Imo State, reportedly said they paid ₦6 million each to secure their relatives’ release.

Although security agencies said the prospective corps members were rescued during an operation, one of the parents, Alirat Wahab, told News Central TV that her family borrowed money and received contributions from relatives and other individuals to raise the amount allegedly demanded for her son’s release.

Wahab said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million for each abductee before reducing the amount following appeals from the parents.

Such accounts illustrate the financial and emotional toll of kidnapping on victims’ families. Security analysts have also warned that ransom payments can sustain criminal operations, although the extent to which the proceeds are used specifically to purchase sophisticated weapons requires further investigation.

Serving and prospective NYSC members have also become targets of kidnappers, with attacks on travellers raising concerns about the safety of young Nigerians travelling to orientation camps and their places of primary assignment.

Reports indicate that at least 36 serving and prospective corps members were abducted in separate incidents between August and October 2026.

On August 26, at least 16 corps members returning from their orientation camp in Bayelsa State were reportedly attacked and abducted by armed men in Kogi State.

The abductors allegedly demanded ransom, but the victims were subsequently rescued by security operatives through intelligence-led operations.

In another incident on October 1, about 20 prospective corps members travelling from the South-West to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states were abducted along the Owerri–Onitsha Road in Imo State.

The prospective corps members regained their freedom on October 7, although accounts differed over whether ransom was paid before their release.

The incidents have heightened fears among corps members, some of whom say they are increasingly reluctant to wear their uniforms while travelling or moving around in public.

A serving corps member who identified herself simply as Mary told this publication in Abuja that the fear of kidnapping had changed how she wore her NYSC uniform.

“Before now, I used to see corps members travelling in their khaki uniforms, especially their headgear, because they wanted to be identified as corps members. But the situation has changed now,” she said.

Mary explained that she no longer felt comfortable wearing her uniform openly, even when attending Community Development Service (CDS) activities.

“I don’t even wear it when I’m going for our Community Development Service (CDS). I just put it inside my bag and change into it immediately I reach the venue. When we are done, I change again,” she said.

She added that fear of travelling through potentially dangerous routes had delayed her plans to return home.

“I have been longing to travel home, but because of what is happening, I will remain in the city until I’m done serving,” she said.

Her account highlights the wider psychological impact of insecurity on young Nigerians, including those participating in the national service scheme.

A retired Superintendent of Police, Desmond Omale, has argued that efforts to combat banditry and terrorism must extend beyond security operations in forests and other remote locations to investigate the influential individuals who may finance or facilitate criminal activities.

Speaking to this publication, Omale alleged that some individuals who benefit from criminal activities operate far from the locations where attacks are carried out.

“The main bandits and terrorists are not in the bush; they are somewhere using private jets and enjoying the proceeds of the crime,” he said.

He also alleged that illegal mining operations in parts of northern Nigeria could be linked to armed groups and individuals with influence.

“Wherever there is gold or any other important mineral resource, you will see bandits controlling communities there. Go to the mining site and ask one of the miners, ‘Who are you mining for?’

“There is always someone they are mining for. Are you going to say that the government does not know these individuals? In some cases, are governors not benefiting from the mining?” he asked.

Omale further expressed concern that the alleged arming of political thugs could contribute to insecurity after elections, when such groups might turn to criminal activities.

“You don’t arm people and expect them not to use the weapons. The same thing applies to what our politicians are doing. An election is coming, and they are empowering many thugs with arms.

“What happens to the arms when the elections are over? Of course, the politicians will stop paying them, and they will have to find their own ways of making a living using the arms,” he said.

He maintained that tackling insecurity required investigations into the financing and sponsorship of armed groups, alongside efforts to dismantle their operational networks.

“Our leaders are still the problem. We can’t tackle this security issue from the grassroots; it has to start from the top, unless we want to continue to deceive ourselves,” he said.

Omale also lamented the loss of lives among security personnel deployed to combat banditry and terrorism, attributing the continued bloodshed to greed and alleged complicity.

“Military personnel, police officers and other security operatives are dying every day just because of some people’s greed,” he added.

The reported recovery of rocket launchers in Sokoto, combined with persistent kidnapping, ransom demands and allegations of illicit arms trafficking, has intensified calls for a more comprehensive response to Nigeria’s security crisis.

Such a response would require sustained intelligence-led operations, stronger border controls, effective monitoring of arms and ammunition, investigations into ransom-financing networks and accountability for anyone found to be supplying weapons or providing support to criminal groups.

Ultimately, addressing the crisis will depend not only on confronting armed groups in their strongholds but also on identifying and disrupting the networks that enable them to acquire weapons, finance their operations and continue attacking communities.

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