Intelligence agencies in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have launched coordinated operations aimed at exposing alleged Nigerian sponsors of insecurity in the Sahel.
DW Hausa first reported the development, and the post was later translated and circulated by counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama, who says credible sources indicate some senior Nigerian politicians may be secretly aiding militant networks.
According to the reporting and Zagazola’s translation, the three Sahelian agencies claim to already possess a list of implicated officials and say some individuals involved in supplying weapons to the armed groups have been arrested, with investigations now under way.
“The AES agencies have arrested gunrunners crossing into Nigeria who have links to these kingpins. The scale of their arms transactions is alarming,” a security source told Zagazola Makama.
The revelations mark a new phase of cooperation within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which has stepped up intelligence sharing and cross-border operations against jihadist groups, Boko Haram affiliates, and bandit networks.
By targeting alleged political collaborators believed to be financing and facilitating arms flows across the Nigeria–Niger border, AES states aim to choke off the support networks that sustain violence across the region, a move that could deepen domestic investigations and strain diplomatic ties.
Recent reports suggest that certain politicians, under the guise of negotiating peace agreements with armed groups, may have diverted large sums of state funds to militant kingpins operating along the Nigeria–Niger border.
This threat further echoes the revelation made last month by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Musa. In a televised interview, General Musa promised to expose the identities of terrorism supporters in due course.
When asked why it has been difficult to name those financing terrorism, he explained, “I think the process is on. It has to do with a lot of legal issues, and because again, it has to do with international connections. Some of them have funds coming from outside; we cannot do anything from within.”
According to Zagazola Makama, these funds were allegedly used to procure high-caliber weapons via proxies, with hard currency fueling a cross-border arms network.
Several suspected gunrunners connected to this trade have been intercepted by AES operatives and are currently under interrogation.
“The AES agencies have arrested gunrunners crossing into Nigeria who have links to these kingpins. The scale of their arms transactions is alarming,” a security source told Zagazola.
A broader war against insurgency
The revelations come as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) comprising Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, deepens its fight against jihadist groups such as ISIS affiliates and Boko Haram.
All three countries have endured devastating attacks on civilians, schools, security forces, and expatriates in recent years, with thousands killed and millions displaced.
The AES leadership has accused ECOWAS of failing to adequately support their counterinsurgency campaigns, citing sanctions and diplomatic isolation that followed military takeovers in the region.
In response, the bloc formally withdrew from ECOWAS earlier this year, opting to strengthen their own regional military and intelligence cooperation.
By pooling resources, sharing intelligence, and conducting joint operations, the AES states argue they are better positioned to directly confront terror networks destabilizing the Sahel and spilling over into Nigeria’s northwest.
