By Reportcircle Abuja
Troops under the Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace executed a precision raid on a suspected gunrunners’ hideout in Fashoron Village, Daffo District, Bokkos LGA of Plateau State an operation that signals an intensifying crackdown on the shadow economy of illegal arms fueling violence across the region.
The sting, according Major SAMSON NANTIP ZHAKOM, the Media Information Officer Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace in a press statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, carried out on 13 November 2025 by Sector 2 (Sub-Sector 2) troops, was part of Operation Peace Shield, the military’s renewed campaign to degrade armed criminal networks operating within the Joint Operations Area (JOA).
By the time soldiers stormed the compound, the suspected gunrunners had fled an indication, according to military sources, of either a leak or an early-warning system embedded within the village.
But the real breakthrough came during the sweep of the hideout.
Troops uncovered a well-stocked miniature armoury, including:
1 AK-47 rifle
1 AK-47 magazine
1 Sub-Machine Gun (SMG)
2 Dane guns
42 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition
84 rounds of 9mm ammunition
20 cartridges
6 mobile phones
₦330,000 cash
The discovery points to a thriving illicit supply chain that has quietly armed criminal gangs in Plateau’s volatile corridors.
Security analysts say the seizure is significant: it disrupts a logistics route that has sustained cycles of conflict in Plateau’s rural communities.
Every recovered weapon, they argue, is one less tool of extortion, ambush, or communal violence.
The military has retained custody of all recovered items and launched a manhunt for the fleeing suspects.
Tracking teams, supported by local intelligence assets, are already combing adjoining districts.
The Joint Task Force reiterated its pledge to tighten operational pressure on criminal groups, particularly those trafficking weapons into local conflicts.
According to the military, flushing out gunrunners remains central to restoring long-term peace across Plateau.
