Police Intercept Military Uniforms, Cartons Of Suspected Illicit Drugs In Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has intercepted 47 sacks containing military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of substances suspected to be illicit drugs during an intelligence-led operation in the Surulere area of the State.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Ikeja, saying three suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure.

The suspects, identified as Chinedu David, 29; Ezeagwu Chukwuma, 38, and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi, 45, were apprehended by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit on Saturday night.

According to the Police Commissioner, the suspects were arrested alongside an unregistered MAN diesel truck conveying the military uniforms and the suspected illicit substances.

He said, “Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on intelligence-led operations, recorded a major breakthrough with the arrest of three suspects identified as Chinedu David ‘m’, aged 29 years, Ezeagwu Chukwuma ‘m’, aged 38 years, and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi ‘m’, aged 45 years.

“The operation further led to the recovery of one unregistered MAN diesel truck loaded with 47 sacks containing military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of drugs suspected to be illicit subsubstances.

CP Fatai said preliminary investigations indicated that the truck was allegedly transporting the military uniforms to the South-East region of the country.

He added that detectives had commenced investigations to uncover the source of the uniforms and the suspected drugs, as well as identify other persons linked to the operation.

“Investigation is ongoing to determine the source, ownership, and intended recipients of the recovered items, as well as establish the extent of the suspects’ involvement and identify other persons connected with the criminal act,” he said.

The Commissioner, however, assured residents that the intercepted items did not pose an immediate threat to Lagos, noting that the consignment was not intended for use within the state.

“It does not pose any form of threat to Lagos State. They were moving out of the state, but you know, with the trend of events in the country where we have seen bandits wear military uniforms, who knows what they want to do with this? Nobody could tell,” he disclosed.

A police officer involved in the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to address the media, said the truck driver and his assistant were initially arrested before two additional suspects linked to the consignment were identified and taken into custody.

“We initially arrested the truck driver and the assistant. We later arrested two other suspects who visited our police station in Surulere to claim the exhibits,” the officer said.

The latest seizure comes amid growing concerns over the increasing circulation of military-grade uniforms among criminal groups across the country, a trend security agencies have repeatedly warned could aid criminal activities and undermine public safety.