Zamfara Bandits Pose With Weapon That Looks Like Russian Air Defence System

‘We Requested for More’: What Terrorists With Missile System Said on Camera

On Saturday, a one-minute video posted on social media platforms showed a group of terrorists assessing a Man-Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS).

A MANPADS is a lightweight missile launcher designed to shoot down aircraft, especially low-flying ones.

In the video posted by Defence Times, a page that provides security information on X, the men were filmed around a forest area. They had a conversation about the MANPADS, its capabilities and their ability to use it.

The caption of the video suggested that the men are in an area in Zamfara State, where a fighter jet was shot down by terrorists in July 2021.

The men also claimed that they had downed three different Nigerian fighter aircraft.

Their conversations in Hausa revealed that the weapon contained ammunition, and they took pride in being able to use it against the authorities.

One of the men, who was identified as Ibrahim, shortened to ‘Ibro’, expressed his proficiency in handling the weapon.

“Ibro, you can use this weapon, can’t you?”one of the men asked.

“I can, by His Grace,” the one carrying the weapon responded.

“And you can shoot down a plane with this, can’t you?” he asked again.

“Of course I can. We are masters at shooting down planes,” Ibro affirmed.

“Whew! This is a very big gun, isn’t it?”

“In Nigeria, we’ve brought down three planes with it.”

“So, Ibro, that means if you sight a plane, that’s the end of it, right?”

“You mean now?” Ibro asked.

“Yes. Is that how you shot down that plane?”

“The other plane, right? Yes, we brought it down with this.”

“Wow! Ibro, you really do have a deadly weapon, don’t you? And I can see it has plenty of bullets.”

“There are about 50,” Ibro said.

“And what are you going to do for Dauda?”

“We have requested for more.”

WHAT KIND OF WEAPON IS IT?

Using InVid and Google Image Reverse, FIJ analysed the key features of this weapon and found that it has similarities with other weapons like this and this.

They are similar to the SPG-9 recoilless rifle made by the Soviet Union or more closely like the SPG-82, B-10 and Type 65 MANPADS.

These weapons have long, pipe-like barrels and are designed to fire powerful explosive rounds. They usually have a tube opening in the front where the projectile comes out, and a sling or handle so the weapon can be carried over the shoulder. Some also have a small trigger or grip area. The one seen in this image is very similar to a group of weapons known as recoilless rifles.

These types of weapons were once common in Cold War-era conflicts.

HOW DID THEY GET IT?

According to a report by the United Nations on Libya’s arms proliferation, Nigeria is one of the countries serving as a destination hotspot for these kinds of weapons.

“In terms of end users, while various types of individuals and armed entities are benefitting from the dissemination of Libyan arsenals, the majority of areas in question are prone to terrorism and the materiel is likely to enhance the capacity of terrorist groups in areas such as Egypt, Mali, Nigeria, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and the Gaza Strip,” the report reads in part.

In February, Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), told the Senate Public Accounts Committee that the police could not account for 178,459 missing firearms from the inventory of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

This is another opportunity for terrorists and criminals to get access to weapons such as this missile system.

While it might be difficult to determine the exact cost of the weapon in the footage because most of the weapons are traded through a black market, Havocscope, a website that provides information and threat intelligence on the global black market, said that Arms Trafficking across the world costs about $1 billion annually.

It states that the recoilless rifles like the SPG-9 can fetch between $400 and $2,600, depending on the region and condition.

The Nigerian Army has yet to comment on the circulating video of the suspected terrorists handling the MANPADS.

https://fij.ng/article/we-requested-for-more-what-terrorists-with-missile-system-said-on-camera/

Bandits in Zamfara displaying what appears to be a MANPAD claiming that they downed 3 Nigerian Aircrafts with the weapon...

With July 2021 incident in Zamfara its not clear if their claim is correct but then is it possible that they still have this capability since 2021?