Is Turkey dispatching weapons to rebel groups in Nigeria?

Since the turn of the year, personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have intercepted four batches of cache of weapons illegally making their way across Nigeria.

Most of the interceptions have occurred at the Tin Can Island port in Apapa, Lagos.

In February 2017, Customs seized 661 pieces of pump-action rifles which reportedly arrived Nigeria’s shores from China. The guns were hidden within steel doors and other goods. The AK47 rifles were concealed in 49 boxes.

In June of 2017, Customs personnel seized a container with 440 arms and ammunition including pump action rifles and single-barreled devices. The cargo which was coming from Turkey, was disguised as Plaster Of Paris (POP).

In September 2017, Customs seized 1,100 firearms being smuggled in from Turkey—again at the Tin-Can Island Port, Lagos.

The arms were concealed in a 20-foot container.

Undetected weapons

The Comptroller-General of Customs Hameed Ali announced that two persons had been arrested in connection with that cache seizure.

The two arrested persons were a Customs official and a Terminal Clerk--supporting claims that the smugglers work in cahoots with compromised officials in Nigeria.

Again, Customs has just announced the seizure of another cache of 470 rifles.

For purposes of a compilation, 661 weapons were intercepted in February, 440 in June and 1,570 in September alone. That brings the total number of weapons seized thus far this year in Nigeria to 2, 671.

Pundits say for each arms interception made public, there are at least six or more cache of arms making their way across Nigeria’s porous borders, undetected.

“Now that Tin Can Island port has become a hot spot for arms smuggling, these criminals will move elsewhere and we must be on the alert,” admitted Customs boss Ali who also agreed that stopping the influx is becoming a herculean task for his team.

Turkish connection

The light weapons and small arms proliferation in Nigeria has led some pundits to suggest that it has everything to do with the unrest in the Southeast by the since proscribed Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) and the forthcoming Anambra governorship election in November.

The name ‘Turkey’ has cropped up in recent times as law enforcement attempt to get a handle on the arms proliferation saga.

On September 17, 2017, Turkey had to deny Abdülkadir Erkahraman—one of its nationals who has openly identified with IPOB and its activities and who is close friends with IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.

ALSO READ: All the times illicit weapons were seized this year

Turkey said Erkahraman is neither a diplomat nor a civil servant or an official representative of the Government of Turkey like he claims.

In unofficial circles, Erkahraman has been described as "IPOB's arms supplier".

According to the Turkish embassy: "Turkey never supports secessionist activities against the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

However, Customs Comptroller Ali says there is an arms syndicate operating in Turkey that is behind the illegal cargoes and shipments of late.

“Our findings have shown that this dastardly act is being committed by Nigerians and there are syndicates in Turkey that are manifesting this.

“We are yet to get to the bottom of the whole thing. Are these arms meant for commercial purposes, or meant to be given to a group of insurgents or agitators and kidnappers?

“That aspect of the investigation is still ongoing, the DSS and other agencies will let us know what their findings are".

Buhari summons Turkish Ambassador

Customs boss Ali also said Nigeria's president is bringing up the arms issue in high level diplomatic talks between both countries.

In Ali's words: “For us in the NCS, we have developed a profile and, like I promised you, we are going to escalate the issue beyond the borders of Nigeria.

“Having identified the country of origin, we will not relent in making sure that we get to the bottom of why the offensive import is coming from one particular country.

“Fortunately, we have made an inroad, we will have the first diplomatic meeting with the Turkish Ambassador basically on this issue of arms import.

“Already, has discussed this issue at an international forum and the Ambassador has been mandated to sit with us and let us find the way forward.

“Steps are being taken beyond the shores of Nigeria in order to establish what is happening. Why is it happening and how we can stop it?

“We want to be ahead of these criminals, we are right inside the port to track and monitor containers right from the ship. We are getting more advanced and employing all the technology we have,’’ Col Ali said.

The Turkish embassy in Nigeria wasn’t immediately available for comments for this story.

Diplomatic row

The Turkey angle is the latest possible diplomatic row Nigeria will be immersing self into following heightened tension in the country's Southeast over the activities of IPOB.

It will be recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria has called out its France and UK counterparts for covertly lending their territories to the 'heinous' operations of Kanu and IPOB.

Flare-up of pro-Biafra agitations in the Southeast led to a handful of deaths and injuries, clashes between the army and IPOB elements and the subsequent proscription of IPOB by the federal government.