Bandit Dago Sale Alleges Nigerian Soldier Supplies Guns To Gang, Claims N1bn Ransom Collected From Two Kidnappings Involving Customs Officers

In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, Sale, who was being interrogated in Hausa, gave details of the gang’s alleged kidnapping operations, hideouts, ransom collections and methods of identifying wealthy travellers for abduction.

A suspected notorious bandit identified as Dago Sale has confessed to participating in kidnappings across parts of Kaduna and Kogi states, accusing a Nigerian soldier of supplying firearms to his gang.

Also, he claimed that the group collected a total of ₦1 billion in ransom from two separate operations involving officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.

In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, Sale, who was being interrogated in Hausa, gave details of the gang’s alleged kidnapping operations, hideouts, ransom collections and methods of identifying wealthy travellers for abduction.

During the interrogation, he explained that the soldier supplied guns to members of the gang, selling each firearm for ₦1 million and delivering the weapons in a vehicle to their section in Kaduna State.

Sale further said that the soldier had built several houses in an area identified during the interrogation as Pida Bulu, Babang Saura, using money he claimed was obtained from the gang’s criminal activities.

Suspect Says He Has Been Involved In Banditry For Four Years

During the interrogation, Sale said he had been involved in banditry for approximately four years.

Asked who he operated under, he said he worked under a boka, a traditional spiritualist, who was apparently connected to the group’s operations.

He identified Rijana as one of the gang’s camps, describing its location as deep inside the forest beyond Sabuwa Gayam and Doguwa Gayam.

He also disclosed that the group operated around Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, where members abducted travellers along the highway.

When asked about the major operations he had personally participated in within Kaduna State, Sale said there were two incidents in which the gang allegedly received ₦500 million each.

According to him, the first operation involved the abduction of a Customs officer.

He claimed that the gang received ₦500 million in ransom following the kidnapping.

In the second operation, Sale said the gang targeted another Customs officer but abducted the officer’s wife to get to him.

He claimed that the group also received ₦500 million in that operation.

Gang Targets Wealthy Travellers Along Lokoja Road

Sale also described how the gang operated along the Lokoja road, where he said members stopped vehicles and abducted travellers they considered wealthy.

Asked how they selected their victims, he said the gang looked for people who appeared well-off, particularly those who wore expensive-looking clothing or travelled in large vehicles.

He explained that members would gather, block the road, stop vehicles and seize people they believed could afford to pay substantial ransoms.

According to Sale, the gang typically demanded sums ranging from ₦100 million to ₦200 million from some of its victims.

He said the group took abducted travellers into the forest and held them there while their relatives or associates arranged ransom payments.

When asked about the number of members operating from the Lokoja camp, Sale claimed that approximately 20 people stayed there.

He said the situation was considerably larger in Kaduna, where he said that more than 100 bandits operated across about 10 separate groups.

When his interrogator suggested that the number could reach 200, Sale insisted that it was higher than that figure.

Suspect Alleges Soldier Sells Guns To Bandits For ₦1 Million Each

One of the most significant allegations in the recording concerned the supply of firearms to the gang by a serving Nigerian soldier.

Asked who supplied weapons to the group, Sale said a soldier brought guns to them and that members bought the firearms from him.

He confirmed that he personally participated in purchasing weapons from the alleged supplier.

According to Sale, the soldier delivered firearms to the gang’s section in Kaduna State using a vehicle.

When asked how much they paid for each gun, he repeatedly stated that one firearm cost ₦1 million.

Sale said the gang’s leaders had introduced members to the soldier, stating that the arrangement was established through the group’s leadership.

The suspect also claimed that the soldier was holding ₦5 million belonging to him.

Asked how the money came to be in the soldier’s possession, Sale said the soldier had told him he wanted to buy Plaster of Paris (POP) materials for the renovation of his house.

Sale subsequently explained that the soldier owned several houses in the area and had built them with money generated from the gang’s criminal activities.

He identified the supplier only as Abdul during the interrogation.

The suspect said the houses were located near his own in an area he called Pida Bulu, Babang Saura.

He also described the supplier’s movements, claiming that the soldier usually arrived in the forest around 4pm or 5pm to deliver weapons and left at about 8pm before returning to his house.

During the interrogation, the questioner asked Sale whether he would cooperate with security agencies to identify and locate the alleged soldier and other people who supplied the gang with food and other necessities.

The interrogation also addressed whether the gang remained active along the Lokoja road.

Sale said other members were still operating in the area.

Asked where abducted victims were taken after being seized, Sale said they were taken into the forest but claimed he did not know the name of the particular forest.