28 Customs officers detained over seized arms

Following the interception of over 1,500 arms of various sizes and designs, the Nigeria Customs Service yesterday arrested and detained 28 officers working at the Tin-Can Island Command of the Service.

The agency made good its promise to fish out and prosecute officers involved in the plan to clear a container laden with arms and ammunition.


Officers of the command have become jittery as a result of the action of the Customs management as Vanguard gathered that  many more officers are likely to be axed as a result of the development.

It was also gathered that the detained officers whose names Vanguard could not immediately ascertain, have been rounded up and are being interrogated to determine their level of involvement in the botched plan to ferry the container of arms out of the port undetected.

Sources close to the command told Vanguard that the officers and their civilian collaborators would soon appear in court but not until the Service has carried out a detailed and thorough investigation on the matter.

It was gathered that some of the 28 officers might be left off the hook, if the ongoing investigation does not find them culpable as some of them might only be involved in the documentation but not privy to the content of the container.

It would be recalled that some operatives of the Intelligence Unit of the Service on routine duty on September 6, 2017, became suspicious of a 20ft container which was not initially listed for examination but had through questionable means been positioned with other containers for the day’s examination.

They also discovered that the seal of the container had been cut and padlocked.

The suspicious movement of the container made them order that it be transferred immediately to the Enforcement Unit where it was examined and pump action rifles found in it.


(Vanguard)

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