Armed Shipment bound to Gambia Intercepted in Nigeria
By Own Correspondent – Nigerian State Security Service (SSS) Tuesday seized an illegal arms shipment containing “rocket launchers, grenades and other explosives,” thought to be headed for Gambia.
According to the Nigerian media, the shipment, containing 13 containers, is being held at the country’s largest shipping port, in Lagos.
Security was immediately tightened at the Apapa Wharf last night as SSS, Police, Customs and naval officials condoned off the area where the ship was being detained and its contents examined, leading Nigerian daily, This Day, reported.
The paper quoted state security officials as confirming the seizure, but said while they failed to identify the ship carrying the container or its final destination, a source at the Port Said the ship was coming from Iran and that it might be headed for The Gambia. Iran and Gambia are at their best of friendly relations.
Until the time of filing this report, This Day could only confirm that security agents had only gone through eight crates inside one of the shipping containers labeled as carrying “building materials”. “There was no declaration about the arrival of the ship and the information we got was that it was meant for Gambia,” This Day newspaper quoted its source as saying. Efforts to get in touch with the Gambian authorities over the issue proved futile.
