Follow Us on Google
By Christopher Oji
The Lagos State Police Command has intercepted a truckload of military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of suspected illicit substances in the Epe area of the state.
The truck was allegedly conveying the consignment to the South-East before it was intercepted by eagle-eyed detectives, who reportedly rejected a bribe of several million naira offered by the vehicle’s occupants.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Tijani, disclosed this during a press briefing yesterday at the command headquarters, Ikeja. He also announced the arrest of three suspects in connection with the seizure.
According to him, the suspects — Chinedu David, 29; Ezeagwu Chukwuma, 38; and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi, 45 — were arrested by operatives of the command’s Tactical Squad on Saturday night.
The police commissioner said: “The bales of clothes you are seeing in front of me contain Army or military camouflage, let me put it that way. You can see the large quantity involved. This was intercepted by operatives of the Tactical Team while it was being moved out of the state.
“We received intelligence about the truck conveying the camouflage and swung into action. The vehicle was travelling through the Lekki-Epe corridor to connect to the Benin-Ore Road. We did not only intercept military camouflage; we also recovered cartons of illicit drugs being transported alongside the items. The case is still under investigation and we are working to unravel those behind this act.
“The command will update Nigerians on the outcome of the investigation and those responsible for the camouflage and illicit drugs.
“There is also an estate around Ijanikin where residents alerted the command to the presence of strange faces in their community and expressed concerns about their activities. Following the tip-off, operatives moved into the area and arrested two suspects. Two double-barrel guns and six locally made single-barrel guns were recovered from them. The suspects are providing useful information and investigations are ongoing.”
He added: “Investigation is ongoing to determine the source, ownership and intended recipients of the recovered items, as well as establish the extent of the suspects’ involvement and identify other persons connected with the criminal act.”
Other News
The police boss also disclosed that the command recorded significant successes against violent crime, including the arrest of a suspect linked to a notorious “one-chance” robbery syndicate.
“Detectives also recovered 51 mobile phones believed to have been stolen from victims during previous operations carried out by the gang,” he said.
In another operation, police arrested two suspected cable vandals allegedly caught vandalising electrical installations on the Third Mainland Bridge.
“Operatives further arrested suspects for unlawful possession of firearms at different locations across the state, recovering pistols, live cartridges and other weapons believed to have been used in criminal activities.
“The command also arrested suspected cultists linked to the Eiye and Alora confraternities, recovering firearms and ammunition during the operations.
“In the area of immigration enforcement, the command rescued 38 foreign nationals from possible mob action in Epe.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that 20 of the individuals entered Nigeria illegally, while 18 possessed valid ECOWAS travel documents.
“The matter has since been referred to the Nigerian Immigration Service and relevant diplomatic missions for appropriate action.
“The police also arrested suspects involved in impersonation, including individuals posing as military personnel and unlawfully wearing Nigerian military uniforms and insignia,” he stated.
Other recoveries made by the Lagos State Police Command include 14 firearms, four live cartridges, a MAN diesel truck, 51 mobile phones, two Vehicle Engine Control Units (ECUs), otherwise known as brain boxes, an operational motorcycle, vandalised electric cables, and 80 cartons of substances suspected to be illicit drugs.
