*The Nigeria Customs Service attached to the Tin Can Island Command intercepts a container loaded with arms and ammunition amid the country鈥檚 continued battle against insurgency, robberies, kidnappings and banditry

Emmanuel Akosile | 绿帽献妻

As the country currently battles insurgents, killer herders, robbers, kidnappers and bandits using sophisticated weapons to cause mayhem and socio-economic disclocations, Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) attached to the Tin Can Island Command on Friday intercepted a container loaded with arms and ammunition.

It was gathered that the owner of the container had earlier said the consignment contained electronics, but the suspicious Customs officials, upon close examination of the cartons, discovered that they were filled with guns.

Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd.), Comptroller-General of NCS

Uche Ejesieme, Public Relations Officer of the Tin Can Customs Command, confirmed the discovery at the Lagos Seaport Saturday, December 18, 2021, The Punch report said.

The NCS Public Relations Officer stated: 鈥淭he Command wishes to confirm very categorically that during routine examination at the terminal B2 (Vehicle) of the TICT on Friday, 17th December, 2021, our operatives stumbled on a suspected container laden with arms and possibly ammunition.

鈥淲e quickly sealed it up and intimated the terminal operators to quickly move the container to our enforcement unit where we hope to conduct 100 per cent examination by Monday morning.鈥�

Ejesieme also said: 鈥淭he information is still very sketchy as we speak. By the time we conduct comprehensive information, we will be able to avail the media with the circumstances and possibly the suspects.

鈥淲e are going to do a comprehensive investigation into this with a view to unravelling the criminal gang behind this and continue to decimate and degrade them.鈥�

The interception of the arms-laden container was said to have occurred days after Mr. Usman Baba, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), charged strategic police managers in the Nigeria Police Force to brace up to the anticipated internal security challenges that the year 2022 will present.

The IGP noted that 2022 would be very challenging because it precedes the 2023 General Elections and the Force would be confronted with the management of threats associated with an active political space.

Over the months, criminals hell-bent on making the country unsafe have devised diverse methods to smuggle firearms into Nigeria, which is currently battling insurgents, killer herders, robbers, kidnappers and bandits using sophisticated weapons to cause mayhem across states in the country.