Nigeria’s security landscape shook on Tuesday following disclosures that the Department of State Services (DSS) stormed a covert weapons ring and arrested a man authorities describe as a major artery feeding terror across Plateau and neighbouring states.
The high-stakes sting operation—executed with what insiders call “surgical precision”—went down on November 12, 2025. At the center of the takedown: Musa Abubakar, the man investigators suspect has been quietly powering some of the region’s deadliest attacks.
According to a top security source, Abubakar didn’t hold back during interrogation, allegedly confessing to manufacturing and distributing high-calibre weapons to armed groups behind waves of violence in Plateau and parts of the North.
The bust followed weeks of intense surveillance as DSS operatives tracked movements in and out of Abubakar’s residence and secret workshop in the Mista Ali axis of Bassa LGA—a location investigators say doubled as a quiet neighbourhood by day and a weapons-production hub by night.
When the operatives finally moved in, they reportedly caught in the act, surrounded by components for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), chemicals, and specialised equipment—all immediately seized.
The dramatic arrest lands just days after the DSS recaptured Abdulazeez “Bomboy” Obadaki, the notorious Kuje Prison escapee linked to the Owo and Deeper Life Church attacks.
Together, the two operations mark a string of security wins for the intelligence agency as it intensifies pressure on violent networks destabilising the region.
In a related sweep, the DSS previously arrested nine high-profile suspects tied to deadly attacks in Plateau and Benue. Among them: Timna Manjol (46), who has already pleaded guilty to two of four federal charges—including illegal possession of firearms—in case FHC/ABJ/CR/451/2025.
With the latest capture, security officials say the agency is “far from done,” signalling more crackdowns ahead as Nigeria battles to reclaim peace from the grip of terror.
