Nigeria: Customs seizes camo gear, boots in cargo containers headed to Bokko Haram terrorists
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) says it has seized a container loaded with smuggled military camouflage material that is adequate enough to dress four army battalions.
NCS Federal Operations Department zonal coordinator for the southern Imo State said container MRSU 3040298 was seized with the load of contraband military goods on July 28.
The container was intercepted in Zone C of the Owerri port policing area. On close examination, it was found to contain 4,400 sets of camouflage military uniforms and 300 pairs of Altama combat boots.
Sanusi said the military camouflage was packed into 11 containers, each containing 400 pairs, while the combat boots were stashed in 15 containers of 20 pairs each.
The military goods were concealed in cargo that included 337 packs of Chinese-made tiles, 27 bales of medical equipment, 34 rolls of water hose and bags of household items.
“The seized camouflage uniforms we seized can comfortably serve a full-fledged four battalions of 1,000 persons each and still have an excess of 400 sets,” Sanusi said.
Three suspects have been arrested for allegedly helping with the illegal importation and clearance of the container. All of them are locals. In Nigeria, the importation of any form of military goods or hardware is strictly prohibited for non-state actors.
The Nigerian security services are still battling to regain parts of the north from Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which relies heavily on smuggled military supplies to survive.
The security services are also battling various bandits and rebel militias demanding some control of local money-spinning resources, such as petroleum, for poor indigenous communities.
Author: Oscar Nkala