A Department of State Services (DSS) official, Mr Stephen Okolo, testified on Monday about the role technology played in the arrest of three security personnel charged with kidnapping and banditry in Oyo State.
Okolo, who appeared as the first prosecution witness in the trial of three officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and one other individual, provided details in front of Justice N.E. Maha at the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
The NSCDC officers, Olamide Okesola, Adedeji Adewale, and Asmau Omar, alongside Emmanuel Olatunji, an unlicensed arms dealer, face charges related to their involvement in terrorist activities.
Okolo explained that, in response to rising cases of kidnapping and banditry in the Okeogun region of Oyo State and parts of Kwara, the DSS deployed advanced technical resources to track and arrest the criminals responsible.
The DSS operation led to the identification of two key terrorists, Baguda and Banshile, and the capture of Lawan Buhari, an arms supplier, as well as the NSCDC officers. Okolo presented a bag containing 1,000 rounds of live ammunition seized from Buhari as evidence.
The operation was instrumental in breaking the arms supply chain to terrorists, contributing to a decrease in the frequency of kidnappings and banditry in the area.
In his own testimony, Buhari confirmed that he had been supplying firearms and ammunition to the accused officers in exchange for substantial payments. He stated that before his arrest, he had been working with the Operation Burst security outfit when the officers approached him for arms supplies.
The prosecution, led by Mr T.A. Nurudeen, has charged the four defendants with conspiracy, terrorism, unlawful arms dealing, and aiding terrorism. All the defendants pleaded not guilty.
Justice Maha adjourned the trial until February 11 for the continuation of proceedings.