Nigerian Army arrests three suspected arms dealers in Abia State

The 14 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, operating under Operation Eastern Sanity II, conducted a cordon‑and‑search raid in the early hours of 7 June 2026 in the Amaetiti Iheshiowa community of Arochukwu Local Government Area, Abia State. Troops arrested three suspects – Francis Ifere (37), Oso Kalu (40) and Ifere Oti (32) – and recovered seven locally fabricated dane guns, 22 live cartridges, a motorcycle linked to the suspects and a bus belonging to Stephen Kalu, who fled before the operation.

The operation was based on credible intelligence about illegal arms proliferation and is part of the army’s broader effort to curb criminality and illegal weapons in Nigeria’s South‑East, with continued night patrols and surveillance across the brigade’s area of responsibility.