By Charles Igwe
Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 192 Battalion, operating in the 81 Division Area, successfully foiled an international ammunition smuggling syndicate on Saturday, July 15, intercepting a truck loaded with ammunition destined for Anambra State.
Acting on actionable intelligence, the troops conducted a stop-and-search operation along the Ajilete-Owode Road in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, leading to the discovery of the illegal ammunition in a truck with the registration number ENU 697 XY.
The truck was found to contain 720 packets of red cartridges of 12 calibre, with 25 cartridges per packet, totaling 18,000 cartridges. Additionally, there were 250 packets of live black cartridges, with 10 packets each, amounting to 2,500 cartridges of the same calibre.
The suspects, identified as Mr. Eric Seworvor, a Ghanaian, and the driver, Mr. Lukman Sani, were apprehended and are currently in custody, aiding ongoing investigations.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the ammunition, which was concealed in the supposedly empty truck, had been imported from Mali through the Idiroko border.
The prompt intervention by the vigilant troops prevented the potential chaos that such a large quantity of ammunition could have caused had it reached its intended destination in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The Nigerian Army commends the troops for their commitment and urges citizens to continue supporting security agencies with credible information to combat security challenges across the country. The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, emphasizes the need for synergy between the army, other services, and security agencies to ensure a safe and secure environment for all Nigerians and foster socio-economic development throughout the nation.
