Nigerian Army intercept truck-load of ammunition heading to Anambra

On Saturday, July 15, troops from the 192 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, operating in the 81 Division Area, successfully intercepted an international ammunition smuggling syndicate. Acting on actionable intelligence, the troops conducted a stop-and-search operation along Ajilete-Owode Road in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

During the operation, they discovered a truck with the license plate number ENU 697 XY, which was loaded with illegal ammunition. The truck contained 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 individuals involved in the smuggling operation were identified as Mr. Eric Seworvor, a Ghanaian, and the driver, Mr. Lukman Sani. They have been taken into custody and are assisting with ongoing investigations.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the ammunition, which had been discreetly concealed in the supposedly empty truck, was imported from Mali via the Idiroko border. The criminals had managed to pass through several checkpoints en route to their final destination in Onitsha, Anambra State, where they planned to deliver the illegal ammunition.

The timely intervention by the vigilant troops prevented the potential chaos that such a large quantity of ammunition could have caused if it had reached its destination. The Nigerian Army commended the troops for their commitment and urged them to continue their efforts in collaboration with other security agencies to provide a safe and secure atmosphere for all Nigerians and foster socio-economic development across the country.

The Army also appealed to law-abiding citizens to continue supporting the troops and other security agencies by providing credible and actionable information to combat security challenges nationwide.