The Department of State Services (DSS) has recovered 676 firearms and 332,874 rounds of ammunition in operations conducted across Nigeria between May 2023 and August 2026.
DSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, disclosed the figures on Thursday during an engagement with senior editors held to mark his second anniversary in office.
According to Ajayi, the weapons recovered during the period formed part of the Service’s efforts to disrupt terrorism, organised crime and other security threats across the country.
He said the volume of firearms and ammunition intercepted demonstrated the scale of the weapons challenge confronting Nigeria and the need to prevent arms from reaching terrorist groups and criminal networks.
Ajayi stressed that intelligence gathering alone would not be enough to defeat terrorism, arguing that intelligence must be supported by effective law enforcement and appropriate punishment for offenders.
The DSS chief also disclosed that the Service had secured seven death sentences in terrorism-related cases.
Other suspects prosecuted in connection with such cases, he said, had received prison terms ranging from 20 to 40 years.
He called for stronger cooperation among security agencies to identify and dismantle the channels through which firearms and ammunition are supplied to criminal groups.
According to him, tackling the problem requires attention not only to terrorists and their collaborators but also to the networks responsible for moving weapons into the hands of violent groups.
Ajayi further backed the idea of establishing state police and forest security arrangements, saying security personnel with stronger knowledge of local communities could respond more effectively to threats in their areas.
He argued that a more decentralised security structure could complement the work of existing federal security agencies and improve responses to emerging threats.
Beyond arrests and prosecutions, the DSS director-general said the Service had also taken steps to address cases where its operations inadvertently affected innocent people.
He disclosed that more than N300 million had been paid as compensation to individuals who suffered losses or harm as a result of mistaken DSS actions.
Ajayi urged Nigerians, security agencies and the media to work together in confronting terrorism and violent crime.
He also warned against actions that could strengthen terrorist groups or amplify their propaganda, stressing that counterterrorism efforts require cooperation beyond the activities of security personnel alone.
The latest disclosure comes as security agencies continue operations aimed at reducing the flow of illegal arms and ammunition across the country.
The recovery of hundreds of firearms and more than 330,000 rounds of ammunition over the period highlights the scale of the challenge facing authorities as they seek to weaken terrorist and criminal networks operating in different parts of Nigeria.