Troops of 192 Battalion operating in 81 Division Nigerian Army have busted an international ammunition smuggling syndicate while transporting a truckload of smuggled ammunition to Anambra State.

The spokesperson for the army, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Monday, said the truck was intercepted along Ajilete-Owode Road in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun on Saturday.

Mr Nwachukwu said the troops, acting on actionable intelligence, conducted a meticulous and rigorous stop and search operation and uncovered the illegal ammunition in a truck with registration number: ENU 697 XY.

He said the truck was loaded with 720 packets of Red Star Cartridges of 12 calibre containing 25 cartridges per packet, totalling 18,000 cartridges.

Also, an additional 250 packets of live (black) cartridges containing 10 packs each, totalling 2500 cartridges of the same calibre, were found in the truck.

According to him, the suspects, identified as Eric Seworvor, a Ghanaian national, and the driver, Lukman Sani, have been taken into custody and are helping with ongoing investigations.

“Information gathered during preliminary investigation revealed that the ammunition, which were surreptitiously concealed in a supposedly empty truck, were imported from Mali via Idiroko International Border, where the criminals had successfully beaten several other checkpoints.

“They were en route to their final destination in Onitsha, Anambra, where they intended to deliver the illegal ammunition.

“Timely intervention by the vigilant troops, however, thwarted the chaos that such a volume of ammunition would have unleashed on innocent members of the public if the criminals had succeeded,” Mr Nwachukwu said.

He appealed to citizens to support the army with credible information to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country.

The Chief of Army Staff, Maj,-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja commended the troops for their commitment and urged them not to relent as they strive in synergy with other security agencies to provide a safe and secure atmosphere for all Nigerians.

(NAN)