A significant operation by the Nigerian Army has effectively prevented an international syndicate involved in smuggling ammunition from reaching Anambra State.
Zagazola Makama, an expert in countering insurgency in the Lake Chad region, revealed this information on Sunday night.
Makama stated that during a carefully executed operation to conduct stop and search along Ajilete-Owode Road in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, soldiers from the 192 Battalion successfully intercepted a truck with license plate number ENU 697 XY.
“To their astonishment, the vehicle was loaded with a staggering haul: 720 cartons of Red Star cartridges, each containing 25 cartridges (amounting to 18,000 cartridges), along with 250 packets of live cartridges of pellet black (totaling 2,500 cartridges) of the same calibre,” Makama tweeted.
According to the security analyst, the suspects, identified as Mr. Eric Seworvor, a Ghanaian citizen, and the driver, were arrested at the scene.
He disclosed that the ammunition, meticulously concealed within an empty truck, had been transported from Mali via the Idiroko International Border.
“According to the arrested suspects, their intended destination was Onitsha, Anambra State, where the exhibit was to be delivered to its owner,” Makama said.
The timely intervention by the Nigerian Army, however, thwarted the potential chaos and violence that could have arisen from the illicit trade and use of these dangerous weapons.
