Troops intercept truckload of ammunition from Mali

Troops of the 192 Battalion operating in the 81 Division have intercepted a truckload of smuggled ammunition being transported into Anambra State by a syndicate. The syndicate was busted by troops on a stop-and-search operation on Saturday along Ajilete-Owode Road in Yewa North LGA of Ogun State. Spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, […]

Troops of the 192 Battalion operating in the 81 Division have intercepted a truckload of smuggled ammunition being transported into Anambra State by a syndicate.

The syndicate was busted by troops on a stop-and-search operation on Saturday along Ajilete-Owode Road in Yewa North LGA of Ogun State.

Spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, told journalists in Abuja on Monday that the troops uncovered the illegal ammunition in a truck with registration no: ENU 697 XY, loaded with 720 packets of Red Star Cartridges of 12 calibre.

He said there were 25 cartridges per packet, totalling 18,000 cartridges and additional 250 packets of live (black) cartridges containing 10 packets each, totalling 2,500 cartridges of the same calibre were immediately seized.

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Nwachukwu also disclosed that the suspects, identified as Mr Eric Seworvor, a Ghanaian, and the driver, Mr Lukman Sani, have been taken into custody, adding that they were helping with ongoing investigations.

 “Information gathered during preliminary investigation revealed that the ammunition, which were surreptitiously concealed in a supposed empty truck were imported from Mali via Idiroko International Border where the criminals had successfully beaten several other checkpoints en-route to their final destination in Onitsha, Anambra State, where they intended to deliver the illegal ammunition.

“Timely intervention by the vigilant troops, however, thwarted the chaos that such a volume of ammunition would have been unleashed on innocent members of the public, if the criminals had succeeded,” Nwachukwu said.

He appealed to Nigerians to continue to support the troops and other security agencies with credible information.