In a significant breakthrough, soldiers from the 192 Battalion of the Nigerian Army have intercepted a Ghanaian national attempting to smuggle a truckload of ammunitions to Anambra State, in the Eastern part of Nigeria.
Acting on credible intelligence, the soldiers busted an international ammunition smuggling syndicate on the Ajilete-Owode road in Ogun State, in western Nigeria.
The troops conducted an extensive stop-and-search operation which led to the discovery of the illegal ammunitions in a truck bearing the registration number ENU 697 XY.
The truck was found to be loaded with 720 packets of Red Star Cartridges of 12 Calibre, each containing 25 cartridges, totaling 18,000 cartridges. Additionally, the troops seized 250 packets of live (black) cartridges, with 10 packets per packet, amounting to 2500 cartridges of the same calibre. The suspects, identified as Eric Seworvor, a Ghanaian, and the driver, Lukman Sani, have been apprehended and are currently in custody assisting with ongoing investigations.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the ammunition, which had been covertly concealed in an apparently empty truck, was imported from Mali via the Idiroko International Border.
The alleged criminals managed to evade numerous checkpoints enroute to their final destination in Onitsha, Anambra State, where they intended to deliver the illegal ammunitions.
The Nigerian Army has urged citizens to continue providing credible and actionable information to support the troops and other security agencies in their efforts to combat security challenges across the country.
The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, commended the troops for their dedication and called on them to maintain their commitment as they work in collaboration with other services and security agencies to provide a safe and secure atmosphere for all Nigerians and promote socio-economic development.
By Vincent Kubi