Customs recovers thousands of bullets from 2 suspects in Niger

The Niger, Kwara, Kogi Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) arrested two suspects when it intercepted a truck loaded with 200,000 live ammunition in the early hours of Monday, July 9, 2018.

According to a report by The Nation, the Onitsha-bound Iveco truck, with Lagos registration number AKD 904 XE, was intercepted along the Wawa-Babana border in Niger state on its way from Benin Republic to Anambra State.

The driver of the truck, Bukari Dauda, was arrested alongside Martin Anokwara, who has been identified as the owner of the cartridges hidden in the false bottoms of 100 supposedly empty jerrycans.

Command Controller, Benjamin Binga said, "The checking was not from tip off, it was just out of sheer curiosity that my men decided to do a thorough checking and discovered that unlike other bottoms of trucks, this one had nuts and on removing the nuts, they discovered it was a false bottom which revealed the cartridges.

"The cartridges are numbering thousands, it would take us hours to count it. We are now working to establish what the cartridges are really meant for and who sent them to bring it into the country. "

Cartridges meant for sale to hunters, suspect says

Anokwara, who confessed to being the owner of the cartridges, said he supplies hunters and licensed owners of double barrel guns adding that he only sells in Anambra.

Dauda, a resident of Cotonou, said he had no knowledge of the cartridges as he thought he was transporting empty jerrycans to Nigeria as contracted by Anokwara.

Comptroller Binga disclosed that the suspects will be interrogated and charged to court afterwards.