A 25-year-old Nigerian soldier, Private Yahaya Yunusa, has been arrested in Jaji, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, for unlawful possession of military-grade ammunition.
Yunusa, who is attached to the 197 Special Forces Battalion in Zamfara State, was apprehended around 11:55 a.m. on Friday, April 18, 2025. At the time of his arrest, he was found with 214 rounds of various calibres of linked and unlinked ammunition.
According to an operational report obtained by SaharaReporters, the soldier was in possession of:
- 50 rounds of 12.7×108mm (linked)
- 69 rounds of 7.62×54mmR (linked)
- 35 rounds of 7.62×54mmR (unlinked)
- 60 rounds of 5.56×45mm
Also recovered were his military ID card and several ATM cards, including those from Opay, Unity Bank, Access Bank, and First Bank.
During interrogation, Yunusa reportedly admitted to retrieving the ammunition during frontline operations, claiming he served as the operator of an anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on a military vehicle.
Investigations are ongoing to determine his motive and whether he acted alone or as part of a wider network.
