In a video obtained by Sahara Reporters, Dago Sale, a suspected notorious bandit, has confessed to participating in kidnappings across parts of Kaduna and Kogi states. He accused a Nigerian soldier of supplying firearms to his gang, selling each gun for ₦1 million. Sale gave details of the gang's alleged kidnapping operations, hideouts, ransom collections, and methods of identifying wealthy travellers for abduction during an interrogation in Hausa.
According to Sale, he has been involved in banditry for approximately four years and operates under a traditional spiritualist, known as a boka. He identified Rijana as one of the gang's camps, located deep inside the forest beyond Sabuwa Gayam and Doguwa Gayam. The gang also operates around Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, where members abduct travellers along the highway.
Sale disclosed that the gang collected a total of ₦1 billion in ransom from two separate operations involving officers of the Nigeria Customs Service. In the first operation, the gang abducted a Customs officer and received ₦500 million in ransom. In the second operation, they targeted another Customs officer's wife and received another ₦500 million.
The bandit described how the gang operated along the Lokoja road, stopping vehicles and abducting travellers they considered wealthy. They looked for people who appeared well-off, particularly those who wore expensive-looking clothing or travelled in large vehicles. The gang typically demanded sums ranging from ₦100 million to ₦200 million from some of its victims.
Sale claimed that approximately 20 people stayed at the Lokoja camp, while more than 100 bandits operated across about 10 separate groups in Kaduna. He alleged that a soldier supplied guns to the gang, delivering firearms to their section in Kaduna State using a vehicle. The soldier sold each gun for ₦1 million and had built several houses in an area called Pida Bulu, Babang Saura, using money obtained from the gang's criminal activities.
The suspect identified the soldier only as Abdul and described his movements, claiming that he usually arrived in the forest around 4pm or 5pm to deliver weapons and left at about 8pm. Sale said he would cooperate with security agencies to identify and locate the alleged soldier and other people who supplied the gang with food and other necessities.
The interrogation also addressed whether the gang remained active along the Lokoja road, with Sale saying other members were still operating in the area. He took abducted victims into the forest but claimed he did not know the name of the particular forest.
Key points
- A Nigerian soldier allegedly supplies guns to a bandit gang, selling each for ₦1 million.
- The gang collected ₦1 billion in ransom from two kidnappings involving Customs officers.
- The bandit, Dago Sale, claims to have been involved in banditry for approximately four years.
