By Ayo Kehinde
The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested four suspects after intercepting a truck conveying military camouflage uniforms and cartons of suspected hard drugs.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Moshood Jimoh Tijani Fatai, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Ikeja, where he highlighted major operational successes recorded by the command over the past two weeks.
According to the police commissioner, operatives of the State Tactical Squad intercepted the truck on Saturday night following actionable intelligence that military camouflage and illicit substances were being transported out of Lagos through the Lekki-Epe corridor.
Fatai said the truck was loaded with several sacks containing military camouflage uniforms, as well as cartons of different categories of suspected narcotics.
“These bags you are seeing here contain military camouflage. We received information and swung into action. The vehicle conveying the sacks was intercepted while moving out of Lagos State, and those carrying them were arrested”, he said.
He disclosed that four suspects are currently in police custody, while efforts are ongoing to track down other individuals believed to be connected to the consignment.
The commissioner said preliminary investigations indicated that the items were being transported to the eastern part of the country, although detectives were still working to establish their exact destination and intended use.
“From the information available to us, the items were being taken somewhere in the East. We are still investigating to unravel those behind it”, he stated.
While assuring residents that there was no immediate indication that the intercepted items were intended for use within Lagos State, Fatai warned that the development raised broader security concerns.
“With the trend of events across the country, especially in areas affected by banditry and other violent crimes, we have seen criminal elements wearing military uniforms. We do not yet know what these uniforms were meant for, and that is why the investigation is ongoing”, he added.
The police commissioner also announced the arrest of 36 foreign nationals during a separate intelligence-led operation on Lagos Island. Those arrested comprised 14 citizens of Chad, nine from Burkina Faso, four from the Benin Republic, four Malians, two Togolese, two Cameroonians and one Guinean.
According to Fatai, many of the suspects failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding their activities in Nigeria.
“All they could tell us was that they were into networking. They could not clearly explain what they were doing in the country”, he said.
He explained that the suspects are currently being profiled by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and would subsequently be handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further action.
The commissioner clarified that the suspects were not connected to a separate group of foreign nationals whose activities recently sparked public debate on social media.
Fatai further revealed that police operatives acting on intelligence supplied by residents of an estate in the Ijanikin area of Lagos arrested several suspects and recovered a cache of firearms.
Items recovered included two double-barrelled guns and six locally fabricated single-barrel firearms.
He noted that investigations were continuing and that information obtained from the suspects was assisting efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating in the area.
The commissioner also disclosed that the command had dismantled a notorious “one chance” robbery syndicate operating across parts of Lagos.
According to him, investigations uncovered the existence of a suspected financier who allegedly rented vehicles for gang members and deployed them to strategic locations where unsuspecting commuters were robbed.
Although the suspected kingpin remains at large, Fatai said detectives were closing in on him based on information obtained from arrested members of the syndicate.
“We are on the trail of the person funding the syndicate. The suspects we have arrested are giving us useful information, and we are confident we will apprehend him”, he stated.
The commissioner also addressed concerns surrounding a recent explosion in the Mushin area of Lagos, stating that police explosives experts were still examining materials recovered from the scene.
“There was an explosion, and our Explosive Ordnance Disposal operatives are still working on materials recovered from the scene. We will provide a full briefing when investigations are concluded”, he noted.
Fatai further confirmed that the command was investigating a case involving the Managing Director of First Bank, who reportedly received a parcel containing two rounds of live ammunition.
According to him, the parcel was delivered to the bank executive’s residence and received by a security guard before its contents were discovered.
“When the parcel was opened, two live rounds of 7.62mm ammunition were found inside. It is a serious matter, and investigations are continuing.”
The commissioner disclosed that no arrests had been made in connection with the incident, although investigators were pursuing leads provided by the complainant.
He reiterated the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and assured Lagos residents that security agencies would continue to intensify efforts to curb criminal activities across the state.
