How Customs intercepted truck with 200,000 live ammunition

The Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), Niger State, has intercepted a truck carrying over 200,000 live ammunition being smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic.

Two of the suspects, who were arrested by the Niger, Kwara, Kogi states command of the NCS, were identified as the driver and owner of the cartridges. They were on their way to Onitsha with the truck load of over 200,000 live ammunition.

Command Controller, Benjamin Binga, said that they were arrested along Wawa - Babana border in Niger State, in an Iveci truck with registration number Lagos AKD 904 XE.

Binga said: "My men intercepted the truck which entered the country through the Babana border at about 3am on Monday.  They cleverly disguised the truck giving an impression that it was carrying over 100 empty jerry cans. But on thorough checking, it was discovered that the truck had a false bottom which was used to hide the cartridges. 

"The checking was not from tip off, it was just out of sheer curiosity that my men decided to do a thorough checking and discovered that unlike other bottoms of trucks, this one had nuts and on removing the nuts, they discovered it was a false bottom which revealed the cartridges.

"The cartridges are numbering hundreds of thousands; it would take us hours to count it. We are now working to establish what the cartridges are really meant for and who sent them to brought into the country."

The driver of the truck, who identified himself as Bukari Dauda from Cotonou in Benin Republic, said: "I was employed by the owner of the truck, Martin Anokwara to drive the truck for him to Onitsha. I did not know the truck contained cartridges. Martin only told me he wanted to take the empty jerry-cans back to Nigeria." 

The owner of the cartridges, Martin Anokwara, confirmed that he is the owner of the cartridges, said that it was not meant for robbery.

He said: "I supply hunters and licensed owners of double barrel guns and only those in Anambra State. My driver was sick, which made me to contact Dauda. I contacted him to driver me back to Nigeria. We had already entered Nigeria before we were arrested.”