No fewer than 1,245 live cartridges were discovered by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Ogun Area 1 Command, hidden inside some bags of rice.
The arrest was made in the Tobolo community near Ijoun in Ogun State’s Yewa North Local Government Area.
Bamidele Makinde, the Area Controller, announced this at a press conference in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Monday.
According to Makinde, the ammunition was loaded with 203 bags of foreign rice and abandoned in a bush path near the Tobolo junction, near an exit point to the neighboring Benin Republic.
According to him, the 70mm (234) cartridges were made by Lion, Trust, Supreme, and Redstar.
The ammunition was intercepted on Saturday as a result of intelligence gathered by the command on the planned smuggling of prohibited items into Nigeria from Benin Republic, according to the customs chief.
He stated that the command’s Roving B Team intercepted five vehicles transporting prohibited items.
According to the Area Controller, the drivers who were suspected of having hinted at the movement of the operatives escaped through the bush path and evaded arrest.
“During an examination of the seized vehicles and the item, about 1,245 rounds of 70mm ((2¾)) ammunition of Lion, Trust, Supreme and Redstar branded cartridges were found to have been ingeniously concealed in 20 bags of the intercepted foreign rice.
“While considering the potential danger of ammunition of such magnitude if successfully smuggled in, we redouble our efforts to ensure they do not find their way into the country. It is a threat to the safety of the border communities and national security. We are committed to ensuring maximum security of our border lines with all sense of patriotism.”
Makinde put the duty payable on the seized ammunition and rice at N17,638,145.
He said the items have been deposited for safekeeping, pending necessary action, adding that an investigation is ongoing to unravel the cartel responsible for the attempted smuggling of the items for arrest and prosecution.
He said the development is coming barely a week after a marching order was given to the command by the Acting Comptroller-General, Bashir Adeniyi, during his working visit to Ogun the week before.
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