Stephen Okolo, an officer of the Department of State Services, has said that the deployment of technology aided the arrest of three officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps facing charges of kidnapping and banditry in Oyo State.
The operative of the DSS said this in his testimony before Justice N. E. Maha of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday.
He was giving evidence as Prosecution Witness 1 in the trial of the three officials of the NSCDC and one other.
The three NSCDC’s officers are Olamide Okesola, Adedeji Adewale, and Asmau Omar, while the fourth defendant, Emmanuel Olatunji, is an unlicensed arms dealer.
Okolo said: “My lord, following the increase in the cases of kidnapping and banditry in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State and parts of Kwara, the DSS fashioned out how to address the issue by deploying our technical expertise, that is equipment.
“With sustained surveillance, we were able to detect, trace, and arrest the criminals involved.
“My lord, two kingpins: one Baguda and the other, Banshile, who were the most dangerous terrorists operating in that axis, were identified in the process.
“The operation, which led to the arrest of one Lawan Buhari, and one of the NSCDC’s officials believed to be supplying ammunitions to the terrorists, commenced in January 2023.
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“Further operation led to the arrest of the other three defendants: Okesola, Olatunji, and Adewale.”
The PW1 tendered before the court a bag containing 1,000 rounds of live ammunition as an exhibit collected from Buhari.
He said the DSS was able to break the chain of supply of ammunition to terrorists, which reduced the high rate of kidnapping and banditry in the areas.
In his own testimony, Lawan Buhari, PW2, said he received thousands of naira supplying AK47 guns and bullets to the defendants, who sent same to their terror links.
Buhari said: “Before I was apprehended and detained at the 81 Battalion barrack at Mokola, I was serving with the Operation Burst security outfit, where the trio approached me to start supplying them arms.”
The DSS prosecution Counsel, T. A. Nurudeen, told the court that the defendants were arraigned on a 15-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy, terrorism, unlawful arms dealing, aiding and abetting terrorism.
The four defendants all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Maha adjourned the suit until February 11 for continuation of trial.
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