Troops of Operation Enduring Peace have intercepted a large cache of ammunition and suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components along the Kaduna-Jos Highway.
The interception occurred at about 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, April 16, 2026, near Boys Science Secondary School on the Manchok-Jos road in Kaduna State.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, said the troops, stationed at Manchok and supported by a Special Forces Tactical Team, carried out the operation during a stop-and-search exercise.
According to him, a navy-blue Opel Wagon commercial vehicle with registration number NSR 154 TA KANO was stopped with seven passengers on board.
He said a thorough search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 569 rounds of 12.7mm anti-aircraft ammunition, several high-velocity warheads, and 189 empty shells of 7.62mm special ammunition concealed within the vehicle.
Oteh added that troops also recovered several disused Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) handsets, suspected to be components commonly used in the construction of remotely detonated IEDs.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as Khalifa Bawa, reportedly told troops during preliminary questioning that the items were part of a waybill consignment, claiming he had no information about the sender or intended recipient.
“All occupants of the vehicle, along with the recovered items and the vehicle, are currently in custody for further investigation,” the statement said.
The task force said efforts are ongoing to trace the origin of the consignment and dismantle the network behind the attempted movement of the weapons.
