The Department of State Services has arrested a serving British Army officer of Itsekiri descent and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition during a secret operation in Delta State.
Sources revealed that the officer, a Major in the British Army, was apprehended alongside several associates for allegedly supplying weapons to stir unrest over the controversial delineation of Warri Federal Constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The DSS operatives from Delta State Command reportedly moved in during a covert exchange near Asaba, leading to the recovery of 50 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action shotguns, and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition. According to insiders, the weapons were allegedly procured on the orders of a man identified as Collins.
The British Army officer was caught in Lagos just as he was about to board a flight heading to the United Kingdom. His alleged accomplices were earlier picked up in Asaba.
A security source stated: “An Itsekiri serving in the British Army is alleged to have procured weapons and ammunition at the behest of one Collins to instigate unrest in Warri. During a covert exchange near Asaba in Delta State, operatives from the DSS Delta Command apprehended the arms supplier and several associates, seizing over 50 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action shotguns, and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition. Shortly thereafter, DSS agents in Lagos intercepted the British Major as he tried to cross Nigeria’s border en route to the United Kingdom. All suspects are now in DSS custody. The DSS will carry out a full and transparent investigation and hold anyone found plotting tribal conflicts to account.”
Investigations are ongoing, and a highly influential traditional ruler is also being discreetly probed in connection to the illegal arms movement.
The crisis stems from INEC’s recent ward and polling unit delineation for Warri Federal Constituency. INEC’s Delta State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Etekamba Umoren, presented the delineation report to the Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo ethnic groups during a meeting in Asaba. The move followed a Supreme Court judgment from December 22, 2022, which mandated the commission to undertake the exercise.
Representatives including Chief Victor Okumagba, Dr. Andrew Igban, and Dr. Joe Bisina received copies of the report on behalf of their ethnic groups.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in his address, noted that this meeting was the fifth engagement with stakeholders after the court ruling. He urged them to review the document carefully, assuring that INEC was ready to adopt it as a working guide as required by law.
However, the delineation exercise has stirred mixed reactions. While some stakeholders oppose it, recently, groups of Ijaw youths from Gbaramatu, Egbema, Diebiri, and Isaba communities marched to INEC headquarters in Abuja, expressing strong support for the exercise.
